


Catching Up

by victorygirl723



Category: Actor RPF, Pinto - Fandom, Star Trek RPF, Wordplay as Foreplay - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 20:04:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorygirl723/pseuds/victorygirl723
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris and Zach meet at a club one night. A romance builds between them. Slow build.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“C’mon Chris, I’m telling you. You are gonna have SO much fun tonight.”

Chris tugged on his plaid button up shirt. He was so embarrassed and resistant to this idea. He had no idea how Karl had even convinced him to do this. 

“Karl, I feel like a complete idiot. This is not a classy way to, you know…pick up people,” Chris said. Karl rolled his eyes and looked toward John. 

“Can you believe this guy? John help me out here,” Karl whined. John smirked and stood up.

“Chris, you gotta let loose. You have been so uptight lately; you need just a night to go crazy and meet someone. Be weird. You know, just have fun and do things you wouldn’t normally do. It’ll be fun I promise you,” John said. Chris didn’t look convinced. Karl gave a heavy sigh.  
“Chris please? Just for me?” Karl batted his eyes while giving Chris his best pouty face. Chris crossed his arms while trying to look defensive and stubborn but he couldn’t be serious while Karl was putting on that stupid face. He cracked a grin and let out a giggle. Karl grinned and let out a laugh too.  
“Alright…fine. Just don’t let me get too drunk or do anything too stupid, kay?” Chris said. Karl and John laughed and nodded their heads. The three boys headed out of Karl’s apartment to John’s car. Chris was still feeling a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation. He didn’t think he was ready for dating someone…especially since he hadn’t been feeling confident about himself lately. Fuck, was he really confident ever? Maybe not, but even more so now. He wasn’t quite sure if he was who he had always said he was…He also didn’t think that going to one of these types of clubs was going to solve that. Sure, he hadn’t exactly told any of his friends of the types of thoughts and feelings he was having. Karl and John thought it would be fun for them to go mess around at this bar. They had heard from mutual friends that this bar was more fun than any other one in town. While most of Karl’s friends liked to make pub crawls, Karl liked to make…well club crawls. 

Chris wasn’t exactly the partying type. It’s not like he was against partying or having a couple drinks; it’s just he preferred to be curled up on his couch in the middle of some Shakespeare play or catching up on the latest New York Times Best Sellers. But, he figured, he was pretty stressed from trying to get an acting gig and working as the Director of Crew on the local production of Bye Bye Birdie took up most of his time. He was pretty sure he had gained three pounds from stress eating. Chris meant to get to the gym…he just didn’t really have time to.

All this over-analyzing was making him stressed. He shook his head slightly to rid him of these thoughts. He had just in time too. If he hadn’t been paying attention one second longer, he would have smacked his head into the back door of John’s Lexus. Karl grabbed the passenger seat and rolled down his window. John sat down in the driver’s seat and turned on the car. Chris glanced out the window at the city in front of him. He could see the Los Angeles skyline from in front of Karl’s apartment. It was the perfect night, Chris thought. A balmy 64 degrees and a clear sky. 

Chris turned his head away from the window and looked down at his clothes. He was wearing light, loose-fitting jeans, black converse sneakers, and a button up shirt most likely from Burberry or something along the lines. He wasn’t quite sure since it wasn’t his shirt. It was John’s. John did some commercials here and there for local products and managed to make a pretty good living off of it. Chris wished he could afford clothes like these, he just didn’t have the money to buy a shirt over 30 dollars. 

John and Karl were laughing about something in the front seat. Chris looked out at downtown Los Angeles. God, I love this city, he thought. Los Angeles, full of opportunities…and strippers. He saw the name of the club they were headed to. The Streak it read in big, white letters. There was a line of people out the door. Chris could feel the beat of the music slightly pounding in his chest. Imagine how loud it’s gonna be in there if I can feel the beat from here, he thought. 

“Gentleman, we have arrived,” Karl announced. He turned around and looked at Chris. 

“Buddy, you’re gonna have fun. Promise. I wouldn’t do something if I didn’t know you weren’t gonna love it,” Karl said.  
“Who said anything about not having fun? It looks like a hell of a time in there. But John I swear if you try those dance moves you showed us back at Karl’s I swear I will not fucking speak to you after this night.” Chris said. John chuckled.  
“Everyone will love them I know it!” John said.

John pulled his car around to valet it. Chris and Karl stepped out of the car as John got his ticket from the valet guy. They walked to the back entrance, (Karl apparently had a connection). Karl mentioned his friend and the bodyguard called for him over his walkie talkie. The bodyguard then let them inside. Two women in short, sparkly gold dresses took their jackets. Chris slowly handed one of them his jacket. He was in awe of the place. It was very dark inside. There were accents of gold along with neon purple lights all over the walls. Strobe lights raved and shook ahead of them. A huge crowd of people were gathered and jumping a few hundred feet away from them. Next to the dance floor, there was a gigantic bar. More gold and purple accents decorated the bars. There was a private secluded section behind the bar where curtains hung and according to Karl, there were private rooms next to the bathrooms where people could have some sexy times if they wanted. 

Chris’s stomach was light as air. He felt so much excitement as well as nervousness. Karl and John immediately dragged him over to the bar to get some drinks in all of them. John loaded up with these pink colored shots, Karl took some straight up vodka, and both John and Karl made Chris try vodka mixed with some tequila. Chris almost retched at the taste as he swallowed the yellow liquid. He began coughing heavily with tears in his eyes. John and Karl began laughing and Chris looked up and giggled like a girl. 

The next twenty minutes consisted of all three guys loading up with insane amounts of shots, tequilas, rum, vodka, anything they could get their hands on.  
“You guys have no idea how bad that last one tasted!” Chris shouted over the music. He stuck out his tongue and rubbed it across his arm to try to remove the taste. Karl laughed and handed him another drink concoction. It was something weird called the Nerve Tingler. John poured a little extra gin in the glass just to make sure it was sour for Chris. Chris gulped the thing down like it was his job. He winced at the taste and puckered his lips. He slammed the glass down on the counter and stuck his hands up in the air, so proud of his accomplishment. Karl cheered and John smiled and raised his glass.  
“I think imma go dance,” Chris slurred. John nodded his head and laughed at Chris’s apparent drunkenness. Chris stumbled over to the dance floor. He had come to the realization in the past 30 seconds that this wasn’t just a club. It was a gay club. In his head, Chris was loving this; mostly because his conscience, sober self hadn’t come to the realization that he might in fact be gay. But that thought didn’t even cross Chris’s mind. He began dancing in the crowd next to random girls that had showed up with their best friends to try and find some new gay best friends. Wow…that’s da dummest way to do somethin’ like that, Chris thought. He couldn’t really see that well. All he could see was a blend of colors and slow waves of motion. The music barked in his ears and controlled his movements. Chris was stumbling all over the place, occasionally falling into people. The DJ suddenly turned up the volume and played a song extra loud. Chris tried to jump when the drop came and ended up twisting his ankle and falling into someone. He reached his hands out to try to grab someone and ended up pulling someone to the ground with him. He couldn’t see who it was but it hadn’t registered to him yet what he had done. He pushed himself up off the ground. And walked over to the edge of the dance floor where there were some stools and a half-wall to leave drinks and put your arm on. Chris sat down and started to feel sick. He felt nauseous and his head was beginning to pound. He rubbed his hands on his temples to try to clear the pain. He saw a nearby shot and cleared it easily. The headache and nausea began to disappear, only to be replaced by numbness. 

His eyes were glassy and droopy. His head tipped just the slightest down. He began putting his hand out to push himself up. As he pushed himself up, he ended up grabbing a nearby guy’s ass. Chris suddenly jerked his hand back realizing what he had just done. The guy turned around. He was slightly taller than Chris. He had stunning brown eyes and thick, dark black hair. His expression remained a bit amused about what had just happened.

“Were you the one who managed to grope my ass?” Brown eyes asked. Chris looked startled and a bit embarrassed.  
“I din’t do it on purpose…I’m sorry,” Chris said slowly. Brown eyes looked at Chris’s face. He stared him in the eye.  
“Dude, how many drinks have you had? You are fucked up,” Brown eyes asked chuckling a bit. Chris shrugged.  
“Idonknow. Too many to count,” Chris said with his eyes closed. Brown eyes laughed. His laughed was deep and seemed to be the perfect pitch, cadence, and rhythm. It was just the perfect laugh. Chris didn’t know how. It just was.  
“Here, let’s sit down before you fall over or puke or something,” Brown eyes said. He grabbed Chris by the hand and pulled him to the curtained area. Chris was too dazed to be aware where he was going. Brown eyes sat down and watched Chris plop down on the purple velvet couch. Brown eyes put his drink down and spread his knees out. He looked over at Chris, still an amused expression on his face.  
“So dumbass, what is your name? Let’s make sure you can still remember basic things,” Brown eyes said while taking a sip of his drink. Chris rolled his head and was looking at the disco ball that hung above their heads.  
“Disco? That is so 70s…jeez get some class please…” Chris spoke openly. Brown eyes laughed again. Chris loved that laugh. It settled him. He was beginning to come to his senses. Chris’s eyes widened and he gripped his stomach.  
“Jesus fucking Christ, how many fucking drinks did I have? Oh shit I feel sick,” Chris said. Brown eyes just looked at him with that same amused expression on his face.  
“Finally you are coming back to Earth. Well before you puke all over, what is your name?” Brown eyes asked.  
“Chris…shit where are Karl and John. They are gonna kill me,” Chris squinted out into the crowd to see if he could find them.  
“Well from all the alcohol that you drank, I’m surprised that didn’t kill you first. I’m Zach by the way.” _Well if I am gay, I don’t have bad taste_ , Chris thought. Chris thought Zach was pretty damn cute. Chris then felt a huge lump in his throat and retched. All that tequila was punching him in the stomach and was going to come up fighting.  
“Man I don’t feel good,” Chris moaned.  
“You mentioned you came here with friends. Do you know where they are?” Zach asked. Chris shook his head. Zach stood up and helped Chris up. He lead Chris to the bathroom. When they entered the bathroom, Chris immediately ran to a stall and threw up all of his guts. Rum and gin didn’t taste good going in nor coming up. The smell and taste burned Chris’s tongue and nose. He flushed the toilet and walked to the sink to rinse out his mouth. Zach stood there leaning against the walling texting. He looked a bit aggravated. He put his phone back in his pocket and smirked at Chris. Chris looked up from the sink and saw Zach smirking at him.  
“…what?” Chris said defensively.  
“You groped my ass on the dance floor. Sorry to burst your bubble sweet heart, but I don’t do blondes, even if they are dirty,” Zach winked and laughed. Chris looked up with water dripping from his face.  
“I didn’t mean to do that. You saw me, I was drunk off my ass. I don’t even remember…” Chris said. Zach put up his arms and smirked again.  
“Whatever you say man,” Zach said. 

Chris’s head was still pounding. The room was spinning and his vision was starting to blur.  
“Zach…I don’t..” Chris started. Chris started to fall. Zach caught him and shook his head.  
“Alright, I will give you a ride home man. Where do you live? From the way you dress, outside of Los Angeles I would assume,” Zach said slyly. Chris would have shot back but he was way too tipsy to even think straight. Chris couldn’t answer. His mouth was dry and he couldn’t even open his eyes. Zach sighed.  
“Okay…since you’re like on the verge of dying you can stay at my place tonight. You try any moves on me and I will kick your drunk ass,” Zach stated. Chris lifted his head trying to nod. They walked out of the club to Zach’s car. It was an old blue Mercedes Benz. He opened the rear door and helped Chris lie down on the car seats. Zach got in the driver seat and began to drive down the quiet Los Angeles streets. It was about two in the morning so nobody was out. Zach had the radio on softly. Old indie music played and Zach hummed it quietly. Even though it was dark out, Zach had his Ray Ban sunglasses on. 

After about twenty minutes in the car, they arrived at Zach’s apartment. It was west of Los Angeles. It was on a narrow street and the building wasn’t very big. Zach got out of the car and put Chris’s arm around his shoulder. They opened the creaky door building and walked up three flights of stairs. They finally reached Zach’s door. Zach fumbled around his pockets for the keys. Chris was still completely out of it. His head dangled above the ground. His whole body was limp. His whole body was lifeless. Zach didn’t seem to concerned though. Zach finally found his keys and opened the door. He walked Chris over to his couch. He helped Chris lie down. Chris was unnaturally warm. Zach pulled Chris’s shirt off and as he was undoing Chris’s jeans, Chris leaned up. He flopped his head next to Zach and almost tried to kiss Zach’s cheek, if it wasn’t for Zach jerking away. 

“Calm it down, Captain Boner. Don’t need you to raise one while I’m doing a favor for you. Just try to think about sleep,” Zach said softly. Chris’s body fell to the couch. His eyes closed and his breathing was slow. Zach rolled his eyes when he saw the slight erection underneath Chris’s boxers.  
He tossed Chris’s shirt and pants across the room and walked into his own bedroom.

 

The next morning, Chris awoke. He felt better and more life like, but his head was pounding still. He put his hand to his forehead and didn’t recognize where he was. He was really confused and starting to freak out when he heard a voice behind him.  
“Morning sleepyhead,” Zach said sarcastically behind him. Chris looked over and saw Zach was shirtless standing in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee. A wave of utter shock and anxiety ran over him.  
“Before you even ask, no we didn’t blow each other and I’m Zach in case you didn’t remember,” Zach said. Chris saw the pants on the ground as well as his shirt and looked suspiciously. Zach turned his head and rolled his eyes.  
“You were sweating like a fucking pig. I took those off to cool you down, Jesus Christ,” Zach said. Chris felt the couch beneath him. It was slightly damp behind his back. He decided Zach was probably telling him the truth. He sat up on the couch and checked his phone. 8 missed calls from both Karl and John and 17 texts asking where he was. Chris groaned.  
“They are gonna kick my ass…” Chris mumbled. Chris quickly texted John and Karl that he was okay. He then put his phone down and looked around Zach’s apartment. It was this down to Earth kind of contemporary styled place. It felt very out of place though. It felt like it belonged in New York City and not in Los Angeles. Zach had lots of posters of Broadway shows on his walls. Zach even had a window that had a view of a fire escape. Seems like he wants to be somewhere else, Chris thought.

Zach brought a cup of tea to Chris and sat down on the chair across from Chris.  
“So Chris, what brought you to The Streak last night? By your behavior I can tell that was your first time,” Zach chuckled and sipped his coffee. Chris sighed and looked out the window at the birds perched on the fire escape. He walked over to the window and stared out at the street. Cars lined the street and kids ran and jumped on the sidewalk.  
“This doesn’t seem very Los Angelesy to me. This seems more…New Yorkan. I mean look at this place. The way it’s decorated, the view of the street and the fire escape. The location,” Chris observed. He then noticed Zach’s bookshelf placed next to the window. Chris browsed and found many authors and titles he was fond of. To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Gatsby, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the list was endless. He turned back to Zach who looked a bit confused as to what Chris was doing.  
“Your taste in books is pretty awesome. I’ve read pretty much everything on this shelf,” Chris said. Zach set down his coffee on the coffee table and approached Chris.  
“Yeah…I’ve always wanted to live in New York. I figured I’d decorate my place to represent where I want to be. It’s my mini imaginary New York…And as for my book collection yeah those are some of my favorites. That’s no where close to my whole collection though. I have many more stored up in boxes in my attic or in my room. If I had more space, I’d display them everywhere,” Zach expressed passionately. Chris smiled. 

 

“You still didn’t answer my question. What were you doing at the club last night? From first glance, you look nothing like a club guy,” Zach said.  
“I’m not. My friends wanted me to let loose and stop being so stressed out,” Chris said. Zach laughed.  
“My friend, there is a huge difference between letting loose and getting fucked up like you were,” Zach said. That amused expression came over his face again. It made Chris’s stomach jump.  
“Also, if you didn’t notice, its a gay club. And you don’t seem very gay to me, no judgements of course,” Zach said. Chris sighed.  
“And what if I am?” Chris questioned harshly. Zach became a bit more serious and really looked at him. He rolled his eyes.  
“Look I just wanna make something completely clear. We didn’t screw last night and I’m not really up for this whole thing,” Zach said sternly. Chris looked insulted but he decided to play dumb and confident.  
“What whole thing?” He asked.  
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. That whole game where you are the lost helpless straight boy who is ‘confused’ about who he is. I’ve had too many of those nights and let me tell you they are not fun nor interesting for me,” Zach said.  
“Look, I wasn’t hinting at anything. I was just admiring your books and place. Thanks for giving me a place to stay for the night and making sure I don’t kill myself or anyone else,” Chris said. He reached for his shirt and began pulling up his jeans. Zach looked like he had just kicked a puppy accidentally.  
“Man, I didn’t mean anything…it’s just I thought you were one of those guys…I’m sorry I started off on the wrong foot. Here let’s start over. First off, here’s my number. You seem cool. We can text and hang out but that’s all I want and am looking for got it?” Zach said. Chris pulled his shirt over his head and took the piece of paper from Zach.  
“Thanks. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I’ll buy you lunch later on in the week if you want so I can pay you back,” Chris said. He knew Zach didn’t want anything and he himself wasn’t sure if he wanted anything either. He just thought it’d be nice to have a friend who might…help him figure out who he was.  
“I’ll take you up on that. How about Wednesday at 11? I have a great place we can go to,” Zach said.  
“Sounds awesome. I’ll text you,” Chris said. He headed for the door to begin his hail for a taxi. Zach slowly closed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new type of chemistry heats up between the boys.

A few days later, Chris was back at the production of Bye, Bye, Birdie. He had his headset on and was talking to other fellow crew members over the mic. There were only a few weeks left before the show started to run to the public. While the cast was in the middle of a run through, Chris pulled out his phone and texted Zach about lunch for that day.

Hey Zach, it’s Chris. Lunch at 11 today still okay? 

He put his phone back into the back pocket of his jeans and rested his head again the wall behind the curtain. As much as he loved Broadway theater, these actors kinda sucked and he was getting sick of the play. He felt a vibration from his pocket. He pulled his phone out again and read the message.

Yep, sounds awesome. Meet me at this place. 617 Olive St. Trust me, you’ll love it.

He had certainly heard those words before. “Trust me you’ll love it” and by no surprise, he usually didn’t end up liking it. But it seemed like Zach and him had pretty similar tastes and he didn’t really feel like arguing when his head was about to explode anyway from this play so he went with it. 

At 10:30, Chris got off of the play early. He got in his beat up Ford Pinto and looked up the directions to the place Zach had sent him. In ended up being a quick drive and he found the small restaurant Zach wanted them to eat at. It was a cute little Italian place that looked good.

He walked in and saw Zach sitting at a small booth near the back of the restaurant. He was wearing dark, tight jeans, a white t-shirt and a fedora on his head. He was texting on his iPhone and looked like he was focusing on something. Chris approached the table with a smile.

“Hey Zach,” Chris said a bit more timid than he had wanted. He winced in his head. Zach looked up from the phone and gave Chris a small sexy smile.

“Hey man. How are you? Sit down, take a load off,” Zach said patting Chris’s shoulder. Chris slid into his side of the booth across from Zach. Zach put his phone away in his pocket and turned his attention to Chris.

“So, you feeling better from a couple nights ago?” Zach asked with a grin on his face. Chris blushed the slightest bit.

“Ha, yeah. I ended up taking a few Advil and drinking a bloody mary and that did the trick,” Chris answered. Zach looked down and chuckled a bit. Chris wasn’t sure at what he just went along with it.

“Well that’s awesome. I’m glad you’re feeling better. Anyhow, since we don’t really know each other what do you do?” Zach asked taking a sip of water.

“Well, I don’t really have a job. I’m looking into being an actor but right now I kinda am just a stage manager for Bye, Bye Birdie,” Chris said. He wasn’t really proud of being unemployed, and the pay for the play was really shitty. Chris was able to just slide by living in LA.

“Really? Wow, I love Bye, Bye Birdie. It’s one of my favorite musicals. But that’s awesome about being an actor. I, like you, am aiming to become one as well. So far, it’s been extremely fucking tough but hey, that’s life,” Zach said.

“What work have you done?” asked Chris. Zach swallowed another sip of water.

“Mostly small commercials and productions of plays here and there. Nothing major. I’m just kinda hoping to get my name a bit more spread out there. Maybe it’ll catch someone’s eye and they’ll cast me. My big dream though is to go to New York, as obviously as you could see from my apartment. Being on Broadway has just been an incredibly huge dream of mine. I have friends who tell me living there is great but it’s so different from Los Angeles. Sorry, I’m rambling on. Where did you go to college?” Zach asked.

“Berkeley here in Cali. I majored in English. I have a huge fascination with the language. That sounds really weird and nerdy, but it’s true,” Chris said. 

“Do you do that thing where you find the word of the day on a dictionary site and try to use it as many times as you can during the day?” Zach asked. Chris did, but he wasn’t sure if Zach was joking.

“Yeah. My family and friends get so annoyed with me but it’s…I can’t help it!” Chris said. Zach laughed to himself.  
“Wow, you are a bit of a nerd aren’t you? Now, I can’t exactly call myself an English major, but the language is quite beautiful and I do admit, I claim myself a word junkie. I don’t have a fancy degree from Berkeley or anything but Carnegie Mellon will teach you a thing or two about English,” Zach said.

“Are you implying that you think you could out-English me?” Chris asked with a petty grin on his face. Zach leaned forward.  
“Honey, I could out-English you in my sleep,” Zach said quietly and sassily. Chris shook his head profusely and Zach crossed his arms and leaned back.  
“Buddy, you are delusional and out of your fucking mind if you think that you can out-language me. I majored in it. I studied it day in and day out. I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of books with new and old English. You have no chance,” Chris said cockily. Zach raised his eyebrow.  
“You up for a little challenge?” Zach asked.  
“What sort of challenge? Not like it’ll be a challenge for me anyway,” Chris said.  
“Everyday, we have someone we know generate a list of words for both of us to use in conversation. Whoever uses the most of the words in a week, wins,” Zach explained.  
“Okay, I like the sound of that. What does the winner get?” Chris asked. Zach thought. He snapped his fingers and had a devilish look on his face.  
“The winner, is taken by the loser to The Streak and gets to get the loser drunk off his ass to dance with gold board short dancer at the club,” Zach said. Chris looked completely amused and confident that he was gonna win this challenge.

“Alright, deal. Shake on it,” Chris said while holding out his hand. Zach took it firmly and shook it. Both men then settled themselves back into their seats. Their food had arrived and they were both indulging quite a bit.  
“Just a quick thing, we are gonna have to set up outings where you and I can regulate if we are actually using the words correctly or not,” Chris said with a mouth full of food. Zach looked a bit disgusted but he ignored it.  
“That seems fair. We can coordinate that. Not like either of us have busy schedules,” Zach said biting into a forkful of rigatoni. Chris glared at him. Zach looked up innocently from his pasta with one of those cute smiles he seemed to throw all the time. 

“So anyway, besides mastery of the English language, what else do you have going on in your life?” Zach asked.  
“Not much. I just moved to LA so I’ve just been trying to get myself settled down. You know the routine I’m assuming since you’re from Pennsylvania. But yeah, my family lives about three or four hours from here, I’ve met two or three new friends, John, Karl, and Alice, from living here and also work in the acting industry, I’m single and make literally shit money,” Chris said somewhat glumly.  
“I’ve been there. It sucks man. You’ll get your feet though. I mean, look at me. I don’t make a lot of money and I’m doing okay. You’ve seen my place. It’s not much but it’s pretty decent,” Zach said.  
Chris didn’t say anything. This conversation had just make him reflect on everything. Later on after they were done eating, Chris paid for the meal and they walked down the street to a local coffee joint. Zach was explaining where the best places in LA to get certain things were. This was especially helpful to Chris because, well, Chris had been getting food and groceries and other things from the stores down the street from his apartment, and to be quite honest, they were pretty low quality and he hadn’t been feeling to well from eating the food from these places. While Zach was talking, the sun was shining perfectly up in the sky. It was hitting Zach’s face where it highlighted some of his attractive features. His dark eyebrows contrasted the light and gave his face lots of depth and angle. Chris caught him noticing his this and turned his head to the ground. He remembered what Zach had said about not wanting anything more than a friend. Chris sighed and drank his dark roast coffee.

About thirty minutes of strolling down the street with coffee in their hand, they reached Chris’s apartment.  
“Well, this is me. Wow that sounded like the end of a really awkward first date,” Chris stumbled over his words. He didn’t know why he was nervous but he just was. Zach made him nervous. He put his hands in his pockets and started to back up the stairs to the door.  
“Chris, you didn’t kiss me goodbye!” Zach complained sarcastically in the most girly voice he could throw out. He then started to chuckle. Chris half-smiled and winked from his door. Zach waved and started off down the street. 

Oh god, why did I just do that? That probably looked so fucking dorky. What am I, a high school teenager? Why am I letting myself get so caught up on this guy who I have only met twice…? Chris thought. He sighed and pulled off his sweatshirt. He turned on the TV and was flipping channels. Suddenly, he saw a rerun of an old episode of Star Trek. He laughed at William Shatner’s overacting and began thinking about the show. He hadn’t seen much of it when he was growing up and surely didn’t consider himself a fan, but he did like the morals and bigger ideas of the show. It broke boundaries and Chris was fond of that. While he was watching the episode called ‘Amok Time’, his phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pants and saw it was from Zach.  
Hey man. Had fun today. Next time, you pick the place to hang. Get one of your friends to make a list of words. I am so going to kick your ass. -Z

Chris let out a laugh and typed back.  
Ditto. Despite the fact I have lived here for only a couple of weeks, I think I know what we can do. You better start praying cuz there is no way you will beat me. 

Immediately after he sent the message, he got another text from Zach.   
The only person who will be on his knees will be you when you beg me to stop using my extensive vocabulary. -Z 

The thought sent a shiver of excitement down Chris’s spine. The thought of begging at Zach’s feet for mercy just sent an absolute thrill through his body. Before he overanalyzed the situation too much, he passed out on his couch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another outing and the tension heats up.

Four days later, Chris figured out what he and Zach were going to do that night. He texted Zach during play rehearsal.  
866 Grove Blvd -7 sharp. Don’t be late; you wouldn’t want me to start the competition without you. 

Zach didn’t text back to Chris’s message. Chris got a bit anxious that Zach hadn’t received it or had different plans. He decided to not text back because he thought that would be too needy. 

Chris showed up at the address he had sent Zach at 655. Zach arrived there at precisely 7. Zach saw where he was and groaned while slightly laughing.  
“Bowling? Your best idea was to go bowling?” Zach whined. Chris laughed.  
“Hey, don’t diss the place. You ever been here?” Chris asked. Zach shook his head.  
“Alrighty then. It was my night to pick the place so I did. Quit groaning, it’ll be fun,” Chris said. Both gentleman walked into the place.

The bowling alley was a really retro place. It was built in the 70s and tons and tons of people were here tonight. Luckily, Chris had made a reservation. Chris went up and told the hostess they had arrived and they walked over to their lane. Zach still had this skeptical look on his face. Chris just looked at him and gave him one of his million dollar grins. Zach rolled his eyes and took off his jacket and set it down on the couch below him. 

“Still can’t believe you chose bowling. Why don’t we just dance to some crazy disco too while we are at it?” Zach said.  
“Shut up and bowl. Oh and do you remember the list of words I emailed you this week?” Chris asked. Zach nodded and picked up a ball. He straightened himself up in front of the lane. He brought the ball to his chin and held it there for a couple seconds. He then proceeded to roll it down the lane. The ball shot down the lane and hit 8 pins. Zach turned around looking confident as ever.  
“Think you can emulate that?” Zach asked with a smug smile on his face. He had used the first word. Chris looked annoyed. Zach grabbed another bowling ball and shot it down the lane. He knocked both of the remaining pins down. He then strode back radiating arrogance.  
“You are a haughty thing aren’t you?” Chris said more flirtatiously than he had meant. Zach didn’t seem to pick up on it though. He sat down next to Chris and shooed Chris to go pick a bowling ball. Chris grabbed an 11 pound ball and walked over to the lane. He threw the ball down the lane and it managed to hit 3 pins. Discouraged, Chris turned around.  
“That’s okay. That moment was ephemeral. It won’t happen again,” Chris said while winking at Zach. Zach didn’t look convinced.  
“Alright. Whatever you say sweetheart,” Zach snickered. Chris grabbed another ball and walked down to the lane. He was a little slower with his moments. He gently pushed the ball out of his hand and let it travel down the alley. It ended up rolling all the way to the right and going down the gutter. Chris heard a laugh behind him. He turned around and Zach, for about the seven millionth time, had his goofy amused expression on his face. 

The bowling game and word usage continued for about two hours and then they finally ended the game. Final score: Zach-137, Chris-74. As for word usage, Zach had used 11 of the words and Chris had used 16 of the others. Chris was quite impressed with himself. They were exiting the bowling alley laughing about how Chris couldn’t bowl.  
“Chris, you suck ass at bowling,” Zach laughed.  
“Hey, I beat you at word usage didn’t I?” Chris exclaimed. They were both laughing all the way to Chris’s car. Zach had gotten a boot on his car so Chris was going to give him a ride home. They joked the whole way home. When they reached Zach’s apartment, Chris got out of his car to walk Zach up. Chris was telling a story of when he used to play baseball when he was little.  
“I kid you not, I was sitting in left field and this huge ass ball just comes flying at my face. I tried to put my glove up but it ended up bashing me in the nose and the eye. Man, that hurt like a bitch,” Chris said. Zach clapped his hands while laughing.  
“Chris…I hate to say it, but you are not coordinated nor sports inclined,” Zach teased.  
“Zach, I would LOVE to see you even try to fucking hit a baseball on a tee,” Chris snarked. Zach laughed. Chris liked the way Zach’s eyes lit up when he was laughing. Maybe that’s why he kept telling embarrassing childhood stories. Zach stopped laughing and looked at Chris sincerely. He didn’t speak. Chris wasn’t totally sure what he was suppose to do. He just buried his hands in his pockets. He was about to turn away and bid Zach goodnight when Zach suddenly leaned over and kissed Chris. Chris was totally surprised. He wasn’t expecting this. All he ended up doing was closing his eyes. As he tried to bury himself within the kiss and kiss back, Zach stopped. He put his hands in front of his lips and was bright red. 

“Oh my god Chris. I’m so sorry. That wasn’t appropriate of me. I didn’t mean that. Shit, I’m sorry,” Zach said quickly. He ran into his apartment and slammed the door. Chris couldn’t even get a word out. He wanted to knock on the door and tell Zach it was okay. He felt that probably wasn’t a good idea though. He walked back to his car and drove home thinking about the kiss. The way Zach’s lips lingered on his. The warmness and familiarity he felt kissing him. He had probably kissed 20 girls in his life. None of those kisses compared to what he had just done.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Zach meet up again and wander around LA.

It, again, was a quiet Los Angeles night. The city was lit up but there was barely any cars on the street. It reminded him of the drive to the club that night with Karl and John. He felt peaceful. He arrived home and sent Zach a quick text before he went to bed.

It’s okay whatever that was. I don’t mind. I think I know more of who I am now thanks to you. 

 

A couple days passed and Zach hadn’t texted Chris at all. Chris didn’t text Zach. He figured Zach was busy or trying to sort out what had happened that night. He met his friend Alice for lunch to catch up.

“So, Chris, have you met any people?” Alice asked. Chris wondered whether or not he should inform Alice on the kiss. He decided whether or not him and Zach were going to date, they were friends…right?  
“Well, I met this one guy named Zach at this club Karl and John took me to. He seems pretty nice. Actually, I think…this sounds cheesy as hell but he’s cute and I might be interested in him…?” He ended the statement like he was confused, which he really wasn’t. He knew his feelings for Zach. He just wasn’t sure what was going on with Zach…  
“Ooooooh, and what’s he look like? What’s he like? You gotta give me all the details,” Alice said.  
“He’s a bit taller than me, he’s got dark hair and these gorgeous brown eyes. He’s lean and more muscular than me. He’s really funny and sarcastic. His laugh his so perfect and round…I can’t resist it. I don't know, he just gives me this vibe whenever I’m with him,” Chris said blushing. Alice smiled.  
“He sounds adorable Chris! So, are you two dating or…what’s the story?” she asked.  
“Well, we aren’t dating…at least I don’t think. He kissed me a couple nights but he then apologized and ran into his house. He hasn’t texted me since so I don’t know what’s going on. I kinda miss him, even though I haven’t seen him in a week,” Chris said.  
“That’s what happens when you fall for someone: you can’t live without them. I know the stages are early and everything but I fully support this Chris. If you like him, I say you should totally go for it,” Alice said. Chris agreed. He needed to see Zach again.

Later that day, Chris tried to call Zach. He ended up getting his voicemail. He became depressed and decided to just leave a voicemail.  
“Hey Zach, it’s Chris. Look, I just wanna let you know that…I didn’t mind what happened a couple nights ago. If you are embarrassed or what not…you don’t have to be. I just don’t want you to be avoiding me anymore. If some old feelings were brought up or you felt lonely, I understand. We don’t have to go anywhere. It’s just…we have fun together and I feel like you are the only one in town that really gets me. Let’s meet up tonight. I have a cool diner we can go to. I know you don’t like fatty food or whatever but I’m telling you, the fried chicken there is to DIE for. You’ll thank me when you’re there. The address is 1047 1st Street. You can meet me there at 7. I hope you come tonight. I have some new words I can try out on you. Okay well, I have some stuff I gotta do so I’m gonna hang up. Okay, bye Zach,” 

He hung up the phone and winced. He was a bit embarrassed because he thought Zach would think he was being the overly attached friend/whatever-the-hell-this-relationship-is guy. Nevertheless, he hoped Zach would come that night. An hour before he was suppose to be there, Chris put on a casual long sleeve shirt and some dark jeans again. He grabbed some of his ‘best’ cologne and rubbed it on his neck. He didn’t want to be too over the top, but he figured he’d see Zach’s opinion of this cologne. 

He arrived at the restaurant and grabbed a booth. He waited for Zach. Thirty minutes passed and he looked at his watch. He sighed. He figured he’d wait ten more minutes and if Zach wasn’t here, he’d leave. Ten more minutes passed and just as he was about to leave, Zach walked in the door. Chris immediately perked up and gave Zach an ear to ear grin. Zach returned with one of his goofy half smiles. Chris stood up to greet Zach.  
“Hey man, I thought you weren’t coming,” Chris said.  
“I know, I’m sorry…this audition ran late. I should have sent a text; that was rude of me,” Zach said.  
“Hey, forgive and forget right? It’s no big deal,” Chris said. Zach looked a bit guilty for being late but Chris ignored that. Both gentleman sat down across from each other. Zach looked at the menu and looked disgusted.  
“Really? There are no un-fried or non-grease slathered things on this menu,” Zach groaned.  
“Zach, you eat celery and kale every fucking day of your life. Live a little and eat a burger,” Chris insisted. Zach looked up from the menu and smiled. He rolled his eyes.  
“Alright alright, fine. I’ll do something…intrepid,” Zach said with a sly grin. Chris looked up competitively.  
“OH, it’s on like Donkey Kong,” Chris stated. Zach smugly looked down at his menu. The waitress came by then.  
“What will you gentleman have?” she asked.  
“Well, Sam, I will be having a cheeseburger, medium, with grilled onions and bacon, fixings on the side,” Chris said with a smile. Zach tutted and let out a sarcastic groan.  
“I will have the…fried chicken,” Zach said slowly. The waitress smiled and took their menus.  
“Wow, Zachary is having fried chicken. For once, he is listening to me,” Chris said pretending to be astonished.  
“Hey, I eat unhealthy…sometimes…” Zach said trying to think of the last time he had even thought of junk food. Chris waved his hand at Zach with disbelief. 

About 10 minutes later, the waitress brought over their food. Both plates had ungodly amounts of food on them along with a puddle of grease. Zach couldn’t bear to look at his plate. The smell lingered everywhere and it was making him nauseous. Meanwhile, Chris was looking hungrily at his plate. He licked his lips. He grabbed his burger with two hands and took a gigantic bite into it. Juice ran down his chin and he looked so satisfied. Zach looked at his plate of chicken ruefully. He wished he had a salad or something else in front of him. He picked up a wing and investigated it.  
“Oh ma god Zach just eat it. It’s a piece of food, not a fucking crime scene,” Chris said with a mouth full of food. Zach bit into the wing and began to chew. He closed his eyes and let out a moan of pleasure.  
“Jesus Christ, this is like…the best chicken I’ve ever had. It’s so good it’s sinful,” Zach said.  
“While I don’t know what the difference is between baba ghanoush and eggplant, I know good chicken when I find it,” Chris said proudly. Zach ate silently.  
“Oh come on Zach. Admit it. I’m right,”  
“…you’re right…” Zach said sourly. Chris winked at Zach. Zach stuck his tongue out at Chris.  
“Stop being a baby. Just accept it,” said Chris.  
“You are such a hedonist…” said Zach. Chris rolled his eyes.  
“Even without a list he uses top notch vocab…” mumbled Chris. Zach laughed. 

After they finished they were both silent for a while. Chris couldn’t bear the silence anymore. It was uncomfortable and he was still quite curious to know what happened that night. He rubbed his fingers anxiously.  
“Zach? Can I ask you something?” Chris inquired. Zach nodded and gave a slight ‘mmhmm’ sound.  
“Well…it’s just…I kinda wanted to know what happened that night…” Chris trailed off. Zach looked up seriously. He looked a bit nervous and out of words. He scratched his head and inhaled.  
“You are gonna kill me and think I’m the biggest asshole ever…” Zach said. Chris didn’t like where this was going.  
“So…I didn’t tell you that my ex was in town that week. He randomly comes to town and expects to have a drink with me. Then, when I reluctantly buy him a drink, he gets drunk enough to the point where he starts sobbing about his life and ends up staying at my place for like a week and just mooches off me and it’s annoying. So…I saw him unexpectedly across the street walking to my place. And I REALLY did not want to engage with him…So…you were there…my body acted before I could think of anything else and I just thought kissing you would get rid of him…which it did…but I knew it was wrong the moment I did it and I know it’s bad of me not to answer you and it’s wrong of me I know that just please don’t kill me. I’m so sorry Chris,” Zach said apologetically. Chris looked hurt. He thought it had meant something more. Although he was upset with Zach, he didn’t want to not see him again for weeks. So, he decided to let it go.  
“Forgive and forget right?” Chris said weakly. He gave a small smile. Zach looked worried. He knew Chris was still upset with him but he didn’t want to say anything. They both looked down and avoided eye contact.

After a few awkward moments, Chris started up a conversation about Alice. She was, not proudly, a stripper that wanted to be on Broadway. He told Zach about how she was really close to having enough money to move to New York. He also told Zach how he’d told Alice about Zach’s dream to move to New York. Alice had smiled and told Zach to meet her up when he moved there.  
“Wow…she sounds like such the girl. How long has she been saving up for?” Zach asked.  
“I think she said five years,” Chris said.  
“That’s not too bad…but that takes determination. Luckily, I have all the determination in the world,” Zach said proudly. Chris rolled his eyes. They slid out of their seats and left the restaurant. It was 60 degrees and windy this day in LA. Zach had his fedora on. Chris snorted at how incredibly hipster Zach was.  
“Zach, I’m starting to think you live in an Urban Outfitters store. Like seriously, a fedora, skinny jeans and saddle shoes?” Chris said.  
“At least I stick to my style. You are just all over the place. Also, that cologne, really? Who are you trying to impress? We both know it’s like twenty dollars and screaming to smell ostentatious when in reality, you smell like an Abercrombie store,” Zach said. Chris winced sarcastically.  
“Ouch…damn Zach. My heart, it can’t take your stupidity,” Chris said dramatically, while clenching his chest. Zach rolled his eyes beneath his sunglasses.  
“In case you couldn’t tell, I was rolling my eyes,” Zach informed.  
“Yeah, I know,” Chris said.  
They continued walking down the sidewalk and ended up wandering into a thrift shop. Zach insisted that they go in. Chris unwillingly agreed. Zach ended up being attracted to the table of fedoras. He tried them on while looking at himself in the mirror. He saw Chris appear in the mirror wearing the biggest and goofiest 50s style sunhat. Zach started laughing immediately. He turned around and showed his world famous amused look that Chris adored so much.  
“Chris, I don’t think that’s big enough,” Zach said. Chris laughed and his big blue eyes smiled. Zach grabbed a pink scarf off the wall and tied it around Chris’s neck. He then put on huge pop star sunglasses over Chris’s eyes. Chris gave a duck face and Zach laughed so hard he had to bend over to breathe. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of Chris.  
“No, don’t take a photo of me like this!” Chris said.  
“Too late. This is going ALL over the internet later,” Zach said. Chris groaned and Zach chuckled looking at the picture. They continued to the back of the store where all the music was. Tons of shelves were lined with records, tapes, and CDs. Chris went for the vinyl while Zach went for the tapes. Chris fell in love with the collection. All the best bands were there. The Beatles, The Smiths, The Cure, everything. Chris grabbed a Frank Sinatra record and showed Zach.  
“This man is and was amazing. No one can ever compare to him,” Chris enthused.  
“Ahhh Frankie. I agree. Sinatra is king,” Zach said. Chris put it down and joined Zach looking at tapes. Zach pulled up a Bee Gees tape and started laughing.  
“I know it’s before our time slightly, but I’ve seen pictures of my parents in disco clothes and I can’t get the image of them in those clothes dancing to Stayin’ Alive,”  
“The 70s man. Things were craaaazy. Why would someone even bother putting the Bee Gees on tape?” Chris said. Zach shrugged.  
“People love their disco I guess,” They both chuckled. The other side of the ‘media’ section was filled with tapes, laser discs, and DVDs of old tv shows and movies. They migrated over there. Both Chris and Zach were a fan of old movies, so they found out, and began browsing. Zach found a tape of Casablanca and was in complete awe.  
“Holy shit, Chris look at this,” Zach said. Chris turned and saw.  
“Where did you find that? I didn’t think a tape of it even existed,” Chris said. Zach looked at Chris dumbfounded.  
“Really Chris. In all of existence you didn’t think a tape of it existed somewhere?” Zach said sarcastically.  
“Whatever, you should totally buy it though. Add it to your collection and we could watch it sometime. It’s a great movie,” Chris said.  
“It really is a great movie isn’t it…” Zach said thoughtfully.  
“Come on Zach. Buy it. If you don’t end up watching it, I will gladly take it off your hands,” Chris said.  
“Alright fine,” Zach said. Chris was still browsing. He found tons of old TV shows put on tapes. While browsing, he found a tape of the old Star Trek series from the 60s.  
“Ha, Zach look at this,” Chris said while holding the tape. Zach looked over and snickered.  
“Good ol’ Shatner. The acting in that was so bad. I’ve tried to go back and watch some of the episodes and I just can’t without laughing,” Zach said. Chris smirked and put it down. They went to the cashier and paid for Casablanca and left. They both were recalling moments from old Star Trek episodes where you could so tell Kirk and Spock were totally in love with each other and laughing at the parts where it was so overly-dramatic. While both didn’t consider themselves to be fans, they had seen some episodes where they could talk about it. They walked past the ocean line. The moon shone on the water and the current made the air cold. They hurried back to Zach’s place in the night. They skipped up the stairs and were breathless.

“We are both…out of breath…wow…I’m really out of shape…” Chris said. Zach laughed gasping for breath.  
“I think we should start running,” Zach suggested.  
“I’d be up for it,” Chris said with his hands on his knees. Zach looked up.  
“I wasn’t being serious but sure. I mean, I probably should exercise. It would go hand in hand with my healthy eating,” Zach said.  
“Then you would be the epitome of healthy,” Chris said.  
“Jealous?” Zach asked.  
“Never,” Chris said. Zach straightened up and inhaled deeply.  
“Thanks Chris. I’m glad I came tonight. I had a lot of fun. Again, I am really sorry about…everything…” Zach said.  
“As I said, forgive and forget,” Chris said. Zach smiled.  
“We should do this again soon. When are you working next? Well I guess I shouldn’t ask that because you are always working. When are you free next? What about Saturday night?” Zach asked.  
“Saturday…I’m suppose to go to a movie with John that night…but we could grab drinks after. Sound good?” Chris asked.  
“Awesome. I will be picking the bar since it is MY turn,” Zach said. Chris giggled.  
“Alright fine. Pick something good. I don’t want some hippie bar. I need some good alcohol,” Chris said.  
“Don’t you worry your little head off Christopher. I’ll pick something good,” Zach cooed. Chris smiled and looked down at his feet. He licked his lips and then looked up at Zach.  
“Good night, Zach,” Chris said sweetly.  
“Night Chris,” Zach answered back. Chris hopped down the steps and heard Zach’s door close. He then began his walk home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to drink some beer and watch a movie!

Chris had begun to like these walks to his place. He got to free his mind of all thoughts and just fill them with happiness of his and Zach’s gatherings. He looked up at the sky and just completely was peaceful. He arrived home and checked his phone. There was a text from Karl.

Hey buddy. It’s been a while since we did anything. Beginning to miss your stupid jokes. Hope you haven’t fallen off the Earth. Drinks on Tuesday night next week? 

Chris typed back.

Hey man. Sorry I haven’t texted. Been busy kinda…anyway. Yeah drinks sound good. After the play we can go. 

Chris then proceeded to pass out in his bed and think about Zach until he gently fell asleep. He had started to dream about Zach. Sometimes they would be sweet dreams where he’d wake up and Zach would be there stroking his hair and telling him a joke. And then there would be other times where they would be fucking against a wall. He wasn’t sure which he liked better. Those mornings would be rough though. Chris would wake up wet and with morning’s little gift that he’d have to jerk away in the shower to his own displeasure that Zach wasn’t really there. 

After four slow days of work at the play, it was finally Saturday. Chris woke up with a text from Zach. He smiled and read the text.

3089 San Vicente Blvd. Great booze and atmosphere. Bring your word game. You’ll be drunk and tired and I’ll just be drunk. We’ll see who can say more words. -Z

Chris snorted and texted back.

Gonna kick your ass again. I’ll be there at 10. 

Chris also had gotten a text from John.

Hey man! Excited to see you tonight. 7 right? -John

Chris typed back.

I’ll be there. Excited to see you and this movie.

Chris suddenly had a thought on a whim that he should exercise. He changed into his gym clothes and decided to start jogging. He ran around his neighborhood and ended up by the ocean an hour later. He stopped and gasped for air. He decided to sit down on a park bench and just look at the ocean. He didn’t know why he chose to go to the ocean as he now had an hour jog back. He sat for a good 20 minutes catching his breath and then got up and went back. It took about 2 hours to get home because he was tired. He could barely open the door when he got home.

“Note to self, never run more than a mile away from your house in these first weeks…” Chris said to himself. He tossed his sweaty shirt and shorts into his hamper and got into the shower. After showering, he spent the rest of the day between sleeping on his couch and watching Judge Judy reruns. At about 5:30, he got up off the couch and got dressed. He then went to the kitchen and made himself a grilled cheese for dinner.  
Really. I’m 32 years old and I still eat grilled cheese for dinner. What is my life. I need to go grocery shopping, he thought to himself. After finishing, he quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair and went to go meet John. It was about an hour drive across LA since it was Saturday and there was traffic. He finally got to the theater and saw John inside.

“Hey man! How are you?” John greeted with a smile.  
“Hey John. I’m good how are you?” Chris said.  
“Great man. It’s good to see you! You excited to see this movie?”  
“You freaking bet. I’m seeing all of the nominees for best picture this year and I’m guaranteeing this will be on the list,” Chris said.  
“You have determination to do that. I can’t sit still for more than 2 hours a month basically. You are lucky I even got out of my house,” John laughed. Chris grinned and walked into the theater with John. The movie was long and dramatic and all Chris could think about was getting drinks with Zach after. He could barely pay attention to the movie. At the end, the lights came on and he was so thankful.

John was raving about the movie and talking about how well the actors did. Chris was not paying the closest attention so when John asked him a question, Chris bullshitted an answer. He said goodbye to John and went to go meet Zach at the address he had sent him. 

It was 10:10 by the time Chris arrived. It looked like a small English style pub from the outside. Chris was a bit confused and made sure he had the right address, which he did. He walked inside warily and saw the place was actually more like a honky tonk bar. Chris was now completely confused. He saw Zach over at counter and Chris approached him. He tapped Zach on the shoulder and gestured confusion. Zach laughed.  
“What, you don’t like my choice of bar?” Zach asked.  
“It’s not that…it’s just not your or even my style…” Chris said.  
“Chris, trust me, they serve good alcohol. Don’t disdain the place,” Zach said with a wink. The game had begun. Chris sat down next to him.  
“Ok cowboy; I see how we are going to play,” Chris said with a smug smile. Zach ordered two shots of tequila. The bartender set two hearty shots of tequila filled to the brim of two shot glasses.  
“If I remember correctly, a certain guy couldn’t handle his alcohol well at a certain club,” Zach said.  
“Zach, if you had been there and seen the substantive amount of alcohol they had loaded me up with, you would have been surprised that I wasn’t dead,” Chris said while smirking.  
“Uh huh, I’m sure,” Zach said hold the shot glass.  
“Cheers bro,” Chris said clinking their glasses together before swallowing the poison. Chris started coughing a bit and Zach laughed.  
“Weakling. I just quaffed that drink,” Zach said with content on his face.  
“That was set up so perfectly how the hell…” Chris wondered.  
“I told you Chris, I always win,” Zach said.  
“Mmhmm, sure. Whatever, I’m not languid, I can still win. If you remember correctly, I won at the bowling alley,” Chris stated.  
“That was only the first time. These next six times we meet up are going to be mine,” Zach said.  
“Whatever you say, Zachary,” Chris said. 

The next two hours consisted of Zach and Chris trying three different types of beer on tap while bantering back and forth weaving past stories with vocab. Of course, they were generic brand names but neither Zach nor Chris were beer drinkers so they decided to just try them. Beer was not their thing.  
“Zach, can we please stop trying beers? I don’t like the taste and if you say you like beer you are flat out lying,” Chris said.  
“Yeah this is really bad. We are going to abate the ingestion of this,” Zach said.  
“God damnit Zach,” Chris said.  
“Your word game is not on tonight my friend. I am on fire,” Zach remarked. Chris rolled his eyes.  
“Alright, alright man. I will award tonight to you. Don’t go thinking you own at this. I am going to kick your ass next time,” Chris warned.  
“Whatever you say Chris,” Zach said. 

They paid the bill and walked out of the bar. Because it was Saturday night and they were in the middle of LA it was busier than normal. Chris gave Zach a ride home again because he still hadn’t paid the parking tickets.  
“Zach, you have to pay those tickets. I am wasting money I don't have to give you rides to your house,” Chris whined.  
“Yeah yeah, I know. I’m going on Monday to the station,” Zach said.  
“Then you can start giving me rides in your car. Your car is certainly nicer than this piece of shit. Ugh,” Chris said.  
“Chris, I promise you. It’s hard now, it’ll get better. And before you get all on my ass for being cheesy as hell I am aware but you’ll get an acting job. We both will,” Zach said optimistically.  
“I sure hope so,” Chris said mumbled. 

They arrived at Zach’s apartment. What appeared to be Zach’s ex was standing in front of his door waiting for Zach to arrive.  
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Zach said.  
“Do you want me to come in or something? I could help you shoo him off,” Chris suggested.  
“No, it’s fine. I think I can get rid of him. Thanks though. I had fun tonight Chris. When’s the next time we should meet up?” Zach asked.  
“Well, the problem is, I’m pretty busy these next couple weeks because the play starts running shows. It’s gonna be chaotic with final dress rehearsals and with shows and everything for two weeks. I mean…if you want you could come watch the show. I could get you a pair of tickets and you could see the play and then we could go get coffee or something after,” Chris said.  
“Hmm…I might take you up on that. Thanks man,” Zach said.  
“No problem. I’ll send you the address to the theater in a couple days. Oh, also, I’ll need your last name for the box office for the tickets. Also, it’s probably a bit weird that we don’t know each other’s last names…” Chris said. Zach laughed.  
“Quinto. Zachary Quinto is my name. Nice to meet ya,” Zach said in a terrible New Jerseyan accent. Chris laughed.  
“Well nice to meet you Mr. Quinto, my name is Chris Pine,” Chris said. They shook hands and laughed.  
“Night Chris. Thanks again for the ride,” Zach said while stepping out of the car. Chris waved and drove off. He watched Zach start talking to his ex. He was a bit jealous that Zach’s ex would be staying at his place. Chris wished that was him. He sighed and drove home with the radio on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change in job and an opportunity.

Chris’s life had gone from stressful to completely chaotic and hectic within two days. The crew had most of there moves and jobs completely memorized and down. But, there were always the actors that claimed parts of the stage weren’t done right or got in their way which caused tension between Chris and the director. The director wasn’t quite fond of Chris but he knew Chris did his job well and got everything done. After a 15 hour day, Chris was packing up and getting ready to leave. The director came up to him and slipped him an envelope.  
“Thanks for your cooperation and consistent hard work,” the director said. He then walked away. Chris was a bit confused. He opened the envelope and saw a check for 1500 dollars. Chris almost shouted. He was so happy. Now, it wasn’t a lot of money, but it was enough to make a bit of a difference. He sent a picture of the check to Zach. Zach texted back immediately.

Wow man, nice job. Who did you screw to get that? -Z

Chris laughed and typed back.

My devilish good looks and hard work I guess are good enough enough for a bonus. 

Chris put the envelope in his messenger bag and walked out to his car. He drove home thinking about what he was going to do with the money. He got home and checked his phone before he went to bed. He had gotten a text from Karl.

Hey buddy. Still on for tomorrow night right? 

Chris had forgotten that he had agreed to drinks with Karl. He didn’t want to flake on him but he wasn’t sure how long his work day would be tomorrow.

I’m not sure…long day tomorrow since it’s a final dress rehearsal. Don’t know when I’ll get out. I’ll let you know if I can’t go. 

Chris felt bad. He knew he’d probably have to cancel on Karl and he didn’t want to do that to Karl. He hadn’t seen him in a couple weeks and was anxious to talk to Karl. He went to bed frustrated and thinking about what he was going to do. 

The next morning was hell. He had to get up at 5:30 to bed at the theater at 6 for a tech check. The cast didn’t get there till about 7 and ate breakfast until about 8 so run throughs wouldn’t start till then. Chris got there and the spotlights were malfunctioning and the microphones were all tangled and had lost their batteries. He had some of the crewbies work on charging up the mics and getting them labeled for the cast members. He, in the meantime, went up to see what was wrong with the spotlights. He and another crew member worked diligently for two hours to try and figure out what the problem was. When they had finally finished, the cast was there and had just finished breakfast. They were getting their costumes on along with getting their hair and makeup done. One of his crew members hadn’t shown up yet and Chris was on edge. The rest of the day was hellish as well as many of the cast members hadn’t gotten the correct microphones and it took forever for them to adjust the levels to each of the mains’ voices and volume. At about 3 O’ Clock, they had only gotten through one run through. Chris knew there was no way he was getting out before 9 that night. He grabbed his phone to text Karl.

Karl, I’m so sorry man. Today has been really hectic with the cast and I won’t be able to meet you. Let’s reschedule. Sorry man :(

Chris felt so bad. He wished he would get out early but he knew there was no way. The director looked like he was about to have a hissy fit any moment. 

6 and a half hours later, everything was finally done. The run through had finished at 7 and the crewbies and him and finished turning everything off and resetting everything. He walked out of the theater and was starving. He went to grab take out from a small Chinese place across the street. As he stepped inside, he saw Zach sitting at a table texting.  
“Zach hey!” Chris said. Zach looked up from his phone and smiled.  
“Hey man. What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Zach said.  
“I just got off work. Today was crazy I can’t even ugh…” Chris said.  
“We don’t have to talk about it. Hey, I just ordered more food than I’m going to be able to eat. Wanna come back to my place and chill for a while?” Zach asked.  
“I would love that,” Chris said. He was so tired and all he really wanted to do was just chill. Zach got his order and they walked out to Zach’s car.  
“Ahhh so you finally paid the tickets?” Chris asked.  
“Indeed I did. Did you need your car?” Zach asked.  
“Oh shit yeah…I’ll meet you at your place,” Chris said starting to jog to his car. Chris ran to his car and got in. He drove to Zach’s house. He saw Zach had just gotten there and was fumbling around his pocket for the keys. Chris snickered and got out of his car.  
“Need some help?” Chris asked. Zach looked up and nodded. Chris grabbed the Chinese food and carried it into Zach’s place. Chris fell in love with Zach’s apartment even more than he had the first time he was there. Zach walked over to his kitchen and grabbed some plates and silverware from a drawer. He noticed Chris was just looking around his place.  
“Still love the place huh?” Zach asked. Chris nodded.  
“Dude, this place is just…I can’t even,” Chris beamed. Zach smiled and walked over with some wine, plates, and glasses. Chris sat down on Zach’s couch. Zach set down the plates and poured some wine in each of their glasses. Chris started divvying up the food on their plates. They started talking about Phantom of the Opera and whether or not the girl should have stayed with the Phantom or not. Then, the conversation shifted to talk about which movies should have stayed books and which should be made into movies. They talked about how Gatsby should have stayed a book and were agreeing that the special effects were all over the place.  
“I mean, the music especially just didn’t suit the time period and I know that’s a thing. The whole Moulin Rouge thing but I just don’t like it. It doesn’t compliment the movie; it just makes it look out of place and just…bad,” Chris said.  
“Hey, I thought Moulin Rouge was an amazing movie; don’t diss it,” Zach said.  
“Are you shitting me? It was such a bad movie. Like, it takes place in the 1800s and they are singing Madonna. Just no,” Chris said. Zach laughed and put his arm on the top of the couch. His hand landed on Chris’s. Chris looked up. Zach kept his hand there taking no note of the placement of his hand. Chris sat up a bit.  
“Zach, can I ask you something?” Chris asked.  
“Um, I don’t know now that you dissed Moulin Rouge,” Zach said looking down at his phone. Chris shifted his hand out from under Zach’s. Zach looked up from his phone. Chris looked a bit nervous.  
“What Chris? You’re making me uncomfortable…” Zach said.  
“Did you ever consider…” Chris started but couldn’t finish.  
“Consider what?” Zach asked. Chris decided to go balls out. He leaned over and kissed Zach. Zach didn’t retreat. Chris pulled back and looked at Zach. He looked into his gorgeous brown eyes. Zach showed no expression on his face. He grabbed Chris’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss. They sat on the couch letting their mouths meet once again. Their tongues explored each other’s mouths. Chris put his hands on Zach’s face. The heat and spark between them was insane. Chris felt that familiar feeling again. He couldn’t explain what it was, but it was like he knew how to kiss Zach. Like he had done it a million times before. They stopped and leaned back. Zach put a finger over his mouth to think about what he’d just done. Chris looked over speechlessly and anxiously.  
“Huh…interesting. That’s what I’ve been missing out on. Wow…I am an idiot,” Zach said. Chris said there just looking at Zach.  
“Chris I gotta ask, have you ever dated a guy?” Zach asked. Chris shook his head. Zach thought for a moment.  
“Well, you are gonna have a lot to handle. I am not easy. You are gonna have to work your ass off to please me,” Zach teased. Chris laughed.  
“You think it’s easy being your friend?” Chris said. Zach laughed.  
“No, and it’s even harder to be my lover,” Zach said.  
“I think I’m up for the challenge,” Chris said confidently with a sexy smile on his face. Zach pulled him back in to make out and they spent the next 30 minutes having their faces mingle and get to know each other.

After an intense and pleasureful make out session, Chris figured he should leave and sleep. He knew work was going to be hellish again tomorrow. He said good-bye to Zach and drove home. He reminded himself over and over again of the taste and feel of Zach’s lips. He kept drifting into a blissful daydream, but then would suddenly realize he was driving and would stop. He got home and was extremely stressed but was also extremely turned on. He was glad he hadn’t pulled a boner at Zach’s place. Unfortunately, he now had to deal with one now. He got undressed and got in the shower. 

The water was hot and made Chris think of Zach’s body up against him. He roughly jerked his dick to try to rid himself of the desire. He was wet, in both ways. He couldn’t see straight. He turned up the temperature of the shower. He couldn’t concentrate. When he thought he was fine, an image of Zach naked and kissing his neck would pop into his head and the process would start again. After an intense 10 minutes, Chris finally got out of the shower. He was dizzy and tired. He felt he could sleep for 3 days straight. He went to his room, tossed the towel on the ground, and fell into his bed completely naked. 

The next morning, he woke up at 5 and was exhausted. Chris hadn’t slept well that night. He tossed and turned the whole night and finally when he had gotten comfortable, the alarm clock rang and he had to get up. He made himself a cup of coffee and headed off to the theater. He arrived there and opened up the crew door. Backstage was quiet and dark. Chris thought he could just pass out and sleep here. The dark lulled him and lured him to fall asleep. Chris turned on the lights and went down to the green room. It was dark as well. He knew the crewbies wouldn’t be there for at least 30 minutes. He thought if he had a quick nap, he’d be refreshed and able to manage throughout the day. He set down his bag next to him and passed out in a chair. 

An hour later, Chris woke up. He checked his watch. 6:30 it read.  
“Shit,” Chris said panicking. He ran up the stairs and saw the crewbies working diligently. One of the assistant directors was looking for Chris. She looked distressed. She ran up to Chris looking angry.  
“Where the hell have you been? I have been looking for you for at least 30 minutes! The crew will be here soon and you guys are not close to being ready for a run through! It’ll put us an hour and ten minutes behind schedule and we will have to stay late and you know that no one here wants to stay late,” she yelled at him. Chris wanted to close his eyes really badly but he fought the urge.  
“I’m sorry. I was working on finding a prop that someone might have taken down to the green room. Luckily, we found it up here,” Chris said.  
“Excuses excuses. Tell that to the cast who has to stay here till 11,” she said rudely. Chris had had just about enough of her.  
“Ok, let me tell you something here. My crew gets here at 6 in the morning everyday and stays till about well, 10 every night. You do the math. That’s a 16 hour work day on average. Your cast? They only stay here till about 7 and they don't even begin run throughs till 8 in the morning. My crew works their asses off every single day doing every single fucking demand that your cast and director asks us to do with no complaints with less than probably 6 hours of sleep a night. So, next time you want to bark at me about how I am the one pushing back us getting out of here, you can take that comment and shove it up your ass,” Chris said with a fake smile on his face. He then walked away and heard the assistant director gasp.

Chris was later told he was fired and his job was given to the assistant head stage manager. He was so unbelievably pissed off. His car had also broken down which had made his day about 10 times worse. He walked through LA fuming. As he arrived at a crosswalk, he saw a flyer on the side of a lamppost. He saw it was a talent agency looking for new actors to be in some movies. Chris pulled a tab from it and texted Zach a picture of the flyer. 

I think this might be our opportunity. 

Chris continued walking home and decided to stop at a coffee place to grab a mocha. He was still mad that he had done all that hard work only to be fired for mouthing off to an assistant director who didn't do shit. He sat down and stirred his coffee. He had texted Zach to come meet up with him at the coffee shop and Zach had agreed. About 15 minutes later, Zach walked in. He sat down across from Chris.  
“Alright, tell me what happened,” Zach said. Chris sighed and began.  
“I was fucking tired this morning and this AD comes up to me and starts fucking yelling at me that because she couldn’t find me and that the crew apparently ‘wasn’t ready’ for run through which they were and the cast doesn’t even finish their breakfast and makeup and costumes until 8. She started telling me that they were gonna have to stay late and that it was my fault. So, I told her off and she told the director and he fired me,” Chris snapped. Zach had his famous amused expression on his face.  
“What?” Chris asked.  
“Damn Chris, I didn’t think you had any bite to you. I guess I was right,” Zach said. Chris rolled his eyes. Zach grabbed Chris’s hand.  
“Ok ok ok, I’m sorry. Forget about her. She probably is single and stuck up and has a rocket up her ass. Let’s talk about this so-called opportunity you found,” Zach said.  
“I mean I saw it on a lamppost. This agent is looking for actors to cast in movies and TV shows. I know it’s just another audition but we are both jobless so I think we should go,” Chris said.  
“Ok…sure…when is it?” Zach asked.  
“This Saturday and Sunday,” Chris answered.  
“Alright, cool. We will go. But for now…why don’t we do something a little more fun?” Zach winked. Chris smiled and got up from the table. They walked to Chris’s place. They went in and put on the Untouchables. While that was the title of the movie, it was quite the opposite with Zach and Chris. They made out for a while and when they weren’t, Chris had his head on Zach’s chest and Zach was playing with Chris’s hair.  
“Ok, I don’t think you understand how much that feels like a spider is in my hair,” Chris said.  
“Do you have a problem with spiders, Christopher?” Zach teased.  
“Yes, actually I do. Creepy and crawly and just eww,” Chris expressed. Zach giggled.  
“Well don’t worry Chris, I’ll keep those nasty spiders off of you,” Zach said.  
“Oh, I’m sure you will,” Chris said sarcastically.  
“Such little faith,” Zach said. Chris sat up.  
“I have the right to have little faith!” Chris said.  
“When have I ever done anything to make you not trust me?” Zach asked innocently.  
“Zach, it’s not what you’ve done, you haven’t done anything. It’s that vibe you give me,” Chris explained.  
“Oh? And what vibe exactly is it?” Zach asked.  
“This vibe that if you wanted to, you could wear my skin,” Chris said. Zach raised an eyebrow.  
“See, the thing is Christopher, I could if I wanted to. You better watch your back, or I might just put spiders all on your wall and take your skin from you,” Zach said.  
“I am just finding the weirdest sides to you aren’t I?” Chris said.  
“I told you, hard to handle. But you’ll find out soon, I’m a blast in bed,” Zach whispered in Chris’s ear. A shudder ran down Chris’s spine.  
“Alright creepy, what do you want to do tonight? And I have a list of words if you wanna compete,” Chris said.  
“The day I don’t want to compete is the day you should get very, very concerned and I think we should-“  
“Oh wait, it’s not your time to pick. Hmmm…” Chris said with a smile on his face. Zach groaned.  
“You better have somewhere fun to go or I swear to God,” Zach warned. Chris snapped his fingers.  
“I have just the place. Unfortunately, we aren’t texting so I can’t tell you the address but I guess it’ll have to be a surprise,” Chris said. Zach looked skeptical but agreed to walk with Chris.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Zach and Chris and some sexy times occur ;)

They walked for about 20 minutes. They talked about what is better, coffee or smoothies. Chris was defending his precious pick-me-up but Zach was backing up smoothies. They argued the whole walk to Chris’s mystery place. About 2 minutes from their destination, Zach finally figured out where they were going.  
“Chris…are we going to the beach?” Zach asked.  
“How did you know?” Chris asked. Zach laughed.  
“I’m a genius. And you better have an extra pair of swim trunks,” Zach said. Chris held up a second pair of swim trunks. They continued onto the beach. There weren’t many people since it was a Wednesday at 3 PM. They quickly changed into their swim trunks and Zach put on his extremely hipster sunglasses.  
“Zach…are you serious. Even at the beach. I’d love to see your swim trunks, they probably are hipster as well,” Chris said.  
“You are just jealous of my insanely good style,” Zach said. Chris rolled his eyes. They sat down and were applying sun screen on themselves. As Chris was rubbing the lotion into his arms, Zach asked him a question.  
“Christopher, would you be a doll and put sun screen on my back?” Zach asked.  
“Of course, dear,” Chris teased. He squeezed some lotion into his hand and started rubbing Zach’s toned upper and lower back. He started rubbing Zach’s shoulder’s tenderly. Zach let out a gasp of pleasure and let his head fall slightly to the right. Chris rubbed harder and worked his way down Zach’s back, occasionally kissing places on Zach’s back. Zach looked over his left shoulder to Chris. He turned completely around and gave Chris a loving kiss. It was slightly sloppy but neither of them cared. They fell back onto Chris’s towel and kissed passionately for a good 10 minutes. Zach’s nibbled gently on Chris’s neck while Chris grabbed the back of Zach’s back while letting out sounds of pleasure. Suddenly, Chris had an idea. He pushed Zach off of him and tried to pick Zach up.  
“Jesus Zach, how heavy are you?” Chris said struggling to hold him up while running to the water. Chris finally slowed down and dropped Zach into about 2 feet of water. Zach stood up soaking wet and running his fingers through his wet hair. An animal had awoken. Zach launched himself at Chris and pushed Chris underwater. Chris fought back by splashing Zach and running out deeper into the water. Zach swam back while holding a handful of sand in his hand. He chucked it at Chris’s back. Chris pretended he had gotten shot and made a dramatic noise of pain before falling slowly into the water. Zach laughed and swam to grab Chris out of the water. He picked up Chris’s back and held him in his hands.  
“Ferris Buehller, you’re my hero,” Chris said in a goofy voice. They both started laughing.  
“Chris, sometimes I think you have a screw loose,” Zach said. He looked into Chris’s sea-blue eyes from behind his sunglasses. Chris reached a hand up and put it on Zach’s face.  
“Ok, this is a bit fairy tale so nooooope,” Zach said before dropping Chris into the water and running away. Chris got up and started running after Zach while trying to pick up handfuls of sand. Zach got out of the water and fell down onto Chris’s towel while trying to catch his breath between laughs. Chris got out of the water and walked over to Zach. He fell on top of him smiling and let the sand drip through his fingers onto Zach’s chest.  
“Hows this for fairy tale or rom-com?” Chris asked. Zach grinned and reached up to pull Chris down into a kiss. Chris stroked Zach’s face while letting his tongue flow into Zach’s mouth.  
“I say…we suck at this whole thing,” Zach joked.  
“Hey, I told you I wasn’t going to be good at the whole dating thing,” Chris said.  
“Wasn’t that an understatement,” Zach mumbled. Chris frowned while Zach looked up and smiled at him innocently.  
“You are so fucking lucky you are cute or else I would have your ass right here,” Chris said.  
“Oh? And what would you do with my ass?” Zach asked sexily. Chris leaned down and whispered in Zach’s ear.  
“As I’ve said, I’d make you beg for mercy,” Chris said. Zach bit Chris’s ear.  
“You’d try wouldn’t you?” Zach growled.  
“I would make you,” Chris emphasized.  
“Wanna find out?” Zach asked. Chris nodded his head and they both got up and grabbed their stuff and hurried on.

When they reached Zach’s place, they threw their towels and everything on the floor before basically jumping on each other. Chris grabbed Zach and roughly kissed him. Zach moaned and reached down to grab Chris’s ass. He pushed Chris against the wall and ran his hands up and down Chris’s chest. Chris ran his fingers through Zach’s dark hair and then grabbed Zach’s neck and held it close to him. Zach licked Chris’s lips and nibbled on them. Chris’s heart was pounding and Zach could feel it beneath him.  
“Someone nervous they can’t make me beg?” Zach hissed between kisses.  
“Never,” Chris let escape. Chris grinded his hips against Zach’s. He felt Zach’s rising boner underneath his swim trunks. Chris smiled with pleasure between kisses. Chris grabbed Zach’s junk and Zach moaned and sank down a bit. Zach pulled Chris to his bathroom and started the shower. Zach pushed Chris up against the wall, spilling bottles from on top of his sink. Zach kissed and licked Chris’s neck and Chris let himself melt into it. His eyes rolled back and his breathing became rapid. He pulled down Zach’s trunks and Zach did the same to Chris. Chris pushed Zach into the shower. Chris grabbed a condom and some lube from above Zach’s sink before joining him. The look in Zach’s eye was complete lust. Chris pressed himself up against Zach while rolling the condom on. Zach gripped Chris’s back, running his nails up and down making scratches into Chris’s back. Chris yelped. He saw Zach’s dick was on the verge of leaking and was throbbing between his legs. Chris turned Zach around roughly and pushed himself in.  
“Oh fuck Chris, you are gigantic, please…” Zach moaned. Chris thrusted himself deeper and deeper into Zach. Zach grabbed his own dick and tugged on it. His knees were sinking to the ground. Chris followed Zach to the ground slowly pulsating.  
“Chris…I…” Zach stuttered.  
“Do it,” Chris commanded. Before he could finish, Zach comed on the shower wall. Chris pulled out and Zach fell onto Chris’s lap. Chris pulled of the condom and began running his fingers through Zach’s hair. They both lied on the shower floor and were gasping for breath.  
“Told you I could get you on your knees and make you beg,” Chris said breathlessly. Zach smiled weakly. Chris leaned down and kissed Zach’s forehead with his swollen lips.  
“I love you man,” Zach said. Chris was surprised when he heard those words. He had never really loved anyone he had dated in the past, but he was never so sure of anything in his life.  
“I love you too Zach,” Chris gasped. They lied on the ground for a good 20 minutes before getting out of the warm water. They crawled into Zach’s bed and slept for the next 18 hours. 

The next morning, Chris rolled over and saw Zach fast asleep next to him. He smiled and got himself out of bed quietly and slowly doing his best to avoid waking Zach. He pulled on his boxers and walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. He boiled some water and poured the dark liquid into two of Zach’s coffee mugs. He poured a dash of cream and a pinch of sugar into Zach’s mug and left his black. He walked back into Zach’s bedroom and set Zach’s coffee on the bedside table on Zach’s side. He then put his own coffee mug on the table next to him and snuggled himself up next to Zach. Zach slowly moved and opened his eyes. He stretched his arms and legs.  
“Morning bedhead,” Chris teased. Zach moaned groggily and threw a pillow at Chris’s head.  
“Fuck off Chris. Not all of us can look so god damn perfect when they wake up like in a movie,” Zach said while rolling over. Chris laughed and grabbed Zach’s hand from underneath the blanket. He intertwined his fingers into Zach’s. He leaned over and began whispering jokes that 5 year olds would tell to each other. Zach tried his hardest not to laugh at the utter cheesiness at them but ended up cracking a smile and rolled over onto his back.  
“You are like a puppy dog. It’s fucking impossible to try and be mad at you." Chris grinned. Zach reached up and stroked Chris’s cheek.  
“Well, not impossible since you are so good looking. I have something to be jealous of,” Zach said. Chris fell on his back next to Zach and nestled his head in Zach’s shoulder.  
“Zach, shut up. You are fucking handsome. Period,” Chris said. Zach turned his head and cupped Chris’s face and kissed him on the lips. Their lips were hot. Zach’s lips were sweet and Chris just couldn’t think of anything else when his met Zach’s. They stopped and Chris opened his eyes.  
“God Zach…I would get on top of you again and eat you. It’s so hard to resist,” Chris admitted. Zach rolled over and hovered over Chris.  
“Is it really? Is it utterly difficult? Do I respite you with my articulate and extensive vocabulary? You’re trying to look aloof, but you are failing. I know you are a zealot and my throbbing diction makes you crazy. I have no hindrance in making you my little sex doll and making you whine and moan for me to stop,” Zach whispered in Chris’s ear. Chris closed his eyes trying to remain calm and not becoming overcome with desire.  
“Zach…” Chris tried.  
“I am a despot and I will relegate you,” Zach said. Chris tried to concentrate.  
“Zach whatever this artifice is it’s not going to work…” Chris said weakly.  
“Don’t waive me off. Are we in accordance?” Zach asked. Chris finally couldn’t take it anymore and pulled Zach on top of him. He kissed up and down Zach’s neck occasionally biting it.  
“You consume me…” Chris said between kisses. Zach pulled down Chris’s boxers. Zach grabbed Chris’s back and scratched it up drawing blood. He turned Chris over and licked the sweat off of Chris’s back. He reached over into his drawer and grabbed some condoms and lube.  
“No need to be nervous Christopher,” Zach snarled while rolling on a condom. He put two fingers into Chris’s opening. Chris grabbed a pillow and whimpered into it. Zach was amused. He twisted his fingers to open Chris up.  
“You need be tranquil and relaxed for this to work Christopher,” Zach beseeched. Chris let go and Zach put another finger in and Chris yelped. He squeezed his eyes shut.  
“God, you're fucking beautiful,” Zach admitted before thrusting himself in. Chris couldn’t keep his eyes closed. He lifted his head up and gasped. Zach pushed into Chris and he put his hands on Chris’s back. Blood leaked onto Zach’s fingers.  
“Holy shit Zach…” was all Chris could let out. Zach smiled sexily and pushed himself deeper into Chris.  
“Pleasure yourself Chris. It’ll be 10 times more fun,” Zach commanded. Chris reached down and stroked himself. He tickled in between his thighs and jerked his dick. It was throbbing beneath him. Zach smiled.  
“There you go…” Zach said thrusting one last time before pulling out. They both comed on the sheets. Zach planted a kiss on Chris’s forehead before whispering, “Two to one,” in Chris’s ear. Chris giggled and looked down. Zach walked into the bathroom and began showering. Chris dressed himself and walked into the bathroom to fix his hair. Zach got out and looked in the mirror behind Chris. He rubbed his face and squinted his eyes.  
“I’m debating whether I should shave or keep the scruff,” Zach said.  
“Keep the scruff. It’s sexy. You can shave in a couple days,” Chris answered. Zach smiled and walked out of the bathroom. Chris combed his hair and walked out of the bathroom.  
“Zach, do you have a shirt I can borrow? Mine are all…” Chris said and pointed to the stained shirt. Zach laughed.  
“Knock yourself out,” Zach said. Chris walked over to the closet and found a red plaid shirt. He rolled up the sleeves and Zach looked over.  
“Whoa whoa whoa. Why are you rolling up the sleeves?” Zach asked. Chris looked confused.  
“Because it’s a style?” Chris said. Zach tutted.  
“You can’t roll up that style of shirt. It’s too tight. Try this,” Zach said. He tossed a navy blue loose fitting shirt. Chris was even more confused. It didn’t look like anything Zach would wear.  
“Zach, you didn’t buy this shirt did you?” Chris questioned.  
“…no I didn’t. It was a present from an ex-boyfriend. He wanted me to dress more like him…thus the shirt,” Zach explained.  
“Knew it. You would never buy a shirt from American Apparel nor a shirt under 50 bucks,” Chris said. Before Zach could argue back, the phone rang. Zach picked it up. Chris pulled the shirt on and decided to give him some privacy. He went to the kitchen and looked for some food they could make. All he found was some cans of low fat, organic soup, kefir, and extra fiber oatmeal. Forget this, Chris thought. He needed some real food. Zach walked out of the bedroom buttoning his sleeves.  
“Zach, can we please go out for some food? You lack any,” Chris observed.  
“I need to go grocery shopping and just because it isn’t high sodium and high sugar filled food, doesn’t mean it’s not food. But fine we can. But, it’s my turn to pick so…we are eating healthy today,” Zach said with a wink. Chris groaned.  
“Oh, this should be good,” Chris murmured. Zach laughed and pushed Chris out the door. They got into Zach’s Mercedes and drove into downtown Los Angeles.

About 30 minutes later, they pulled up in front of a smoothie store. Chris saw and groaned.  
“Don’t be such a baby. I tried grease ladled fried chicken, you are going to try an organic smoothie. Also, because you were defending your precious coffee yesterday, you now have to try a real smoothie,” Zach said. Chris reluctantly got out of the car and followed Zach into the store. It smelled like compost and had a huge menu. Chris could not find one item that didn’t have some sort of weird fruit or vegetable that he had never heard of before in it. Before he knew it, Zach was already ordering.  
“I’ll have a banana-kale blast and whatever this guy is having,” Zach said. Chris was flattered. They were paying for each other now. He liked that it seemed like they actually were in a relationship. Chris realized he needed to order and he walked up to the counter.  
“I will have a papaya-strawberry twist,” Chris said skeptically. Zach patted him on the back and paid for the smoothies. The woman handed them their drinks. They walked outside and sat down.  
“Zach, that thing is green,” Chris pointed out.  
“I am well aware of the color Chris but thanks for proving that your aren’t blind. I was worried there for a moment,” Zach said sarcastically. Chris rolled his eyes.  
“What even is in that thing?” Chris asked.  
“Kale, banana, spinach, a bit of vanilla and flax seeds,” Zach answered. Chris gagged.  
“You are like a five year old. What’s in yours?” Zach asked.  
“Beets, papaya, strawberries, carrots, and wheat grass…?” Chris said. Zach leaned back in his chair and watched pick up the cup and put the straw in his mouth. Chris sipped slowly. He licked his lips and thought for a moment.  
“And…?” Zach asked.  
“It’s pretty good…” Chris mumbled taking another sip.  
“Admit it: eating healthy can taste good,” Zach said.  
“Fine. It can,” Chris said tersely. Zach laughed and looked down at his phone.  
“Hey, who called back at your place?” Chris asked.  
“Oh yeah, I forgot I was gonna talk to you about that. So, it was an agent who was looking for talent. She wants male actors and she’s holding auditions for something tomorrow. Interested in going with me?” Zach asked.  
“Ok, yeah sure. We can ditch out on the sketchy one I found. What movie or TV show is it for?” Chris asked.  
“Not sure. She didn’t say but it sounded like a good opportunity,” Zach said.  
“I hope we can get some gigs soon,” Chris said.  
“I sure hope too. My rent got raised,” Zach said.  
“You know Zach…if you needed help with the rent, I could move in with you and help you pay,” Chris suggested.  
“Nah, it’s okay. Let’s move in together when we both have more money and our places aren’t pieces of shit,” Zach said. Chris agreed. They finished their smoothies and began walking through LA.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zach and Chris meet with the agent to discuss the upcoming project. A bit shorter chapter than the others.

Zach wasn’t the ‘holding hands’ in public type as Chris found out. Chris wasn’t really either. He did it with past girlfriends because they insisted. It was kinda nice to just be able to still act like friends in public. They could still joke around and mess around…just now there was kissing involved and when they went home, they fucked. Basically everything was the same. It was just heightened. Chris liked it that way. He could still act like himself. Zach didn’t get all gooey and mushy either. He could still tease him the way he did when they weren’t dating. He hoped Zach’s sense of humor never went away. He was pretty sure that was the part he liked the most about Zach, besides of course his amused look. 

They walked around LA and then walked back to Zach’s car. Zach had to meet up with a friend so Chris walked himself home. Chris spent the rest of the night sitting home and reading a ‘Jack Ryan’ book by Tom Clancy. He got so into the whole spy thing. He then thought he should probably skim through some acting books that he had bought to make himself less rusty for tomorrow. Before reading one of the acting books, he sent a text to Karl, Alice, and John.

Hey guys. Sorry I haven’t been around lately. Let’s all get dinner next week. I’ll explain and we can catch up.

The next day, Chris and Zach met up at the building where the agent was meeting actors. Both gentleman were a bit nervous. They walked up and met the agent. They talked with her for a good hour. She seemed to like both of them. She gave them her card and told them there would be auditions for an upcoming project in a couple months. She didn’t give them much detail other than it was a movie. They left with that thought in the back of their brain. 

 

A week later, Chris met up with his friends for dinner. He figured he’d tell them about his job and him and Zach. He got to the restaurant and they were waiting inside.   
“Hey Chris! How are ya?” John asked. The other noticed Chris and turned around and gave him a smile.   
“Hey guys, I’m good. Sorry I haven’t seen you guys much. Life has been really busy lately and I got all caught up in it,” Chris said.  
“That means he’s found someone,” Karl whispered to Alice. Chris rolled his eyes. They sat down at a table and ordered some drinks.  
“Cheers everyone,” Chris said while raising his glass. They clinked their glasses and drank. They joked about how John was going away to film a small mini series in Sacramento and how he was going to become a hippie. They found out that Alice had scored a gig in a small play in New York and was moving out there in a couple weeks.   
“Wow Alice, congratulations! I knew you’d get there someday,” Chris said.   
“Yeah Alice, this is gonna sure beat stripping I’m sure,” Karl teased.   
“Hush Karl. I’m just glad I’ve gotten my foot in the door. I was so nervous to be auditioning again. I hadn’t auditioned in probably a good two years so I was a bit rusty on the whole process. Nevertheless, I managed to score a small part. So, I will be singing and dancing on the big stage and who knows what’s next?” Alice raved. They all smiled at her.  
“That’s great. We are so proud of you. You’re so talented and I bet you’ll find a nice guy there and settle down too after, of course, years on Broadway,” John said. Alice smiled and looked down.   
“What about you Chris? Any plans? I assume you have been up to something considering the fact we hadn’t heard from you much unless you’ve been just locked up at the play,” Karl said.  
“Sadly no. I got fired about a week and a half ago. I got into it with one of the A.D’s and she told the director and he let me go unfortunately. But, when one door closes another opens. I met with an agent and there are auditions for an upcoming movie in a couple months so I will be doing that and hopefully that gets me somewhere. But other than that…I met someone,” Chris said. Karl’s jaw dropped sarcastically and Alice rolled her eyes.  
“That’s great Chris! Who is it?” John asked.  
“Well, I already partially told Alice about him. It was a guy that I met the night we went to that club ‘The Streak’. He found me when I fell on him on the dance floor because I was drunk and he let me stay at his place. We became friends after that and it just escalated into a relationship. His name is Zach and he’s really cute and funny. I’ll have to have you guys meet sometime,” Chris explained. When he mentioned Zach’s name, he smiled like a goofy teenage boy.   
“Awww, that so cute! Why didn’t you bring him here tonight?” Alice asked.   
“I figured I’d just hang out with you guys tonight and bring him some other time. Unfortunately, it looks like it’ll be a while for some of you since you and John are moving,” Chris said.  
“Well Chris, I can’t wait to me him,” John said.   
They then started talking about how Karl was going to New Zealand for a couple months to work on a movie down there. It was a trilogy and had been books before and apparently the director was Peter Jackson. Chris couldn’t remember the name of the series. Some with Lord in it…all that was coming to him was Lord of the Flies but he knew that wasn’t it. Chris felt slightly unproductive since all his friends had gotten gigs and he hadn’t really done anything. He hoped him and Zach would get this gig.

 

A couple months later, the audition rolled around. Chris and Zach had continued their relationship and it had gotten even stronger. At this point, Chris had been job hopping around town to save up as much as he could to buy a place with Zach. Zach had done some modeling to also help save up. Much to Zach’s appeal, thrift shopping had become their new best friend. They went in that day and met up with the agent.   
“Hey you guys! Good to see you again! So, here’s the project your’ll be auditioning for. This director named J.J Abrams is planning on remaking and continuing the Star Trek movie series in an ‘alternate universe’ somewhat. He needs two main leads to be, hold on let me check on the names….Captain Kirk and Spock and you two look very much like the past actors who played the part. If you are interested, I’ll fly you two out to audition in San Francisco tonight and you can audition tomorrow. So…thoughts?” she asked. Chris and Zach weren’t really sure what to say. They weren’t exactly Star Trek fans and didn’t know much about the series. They didn’t even know if this was a worth while opportunity. But, they had heard of J.J Abrams and his work so they figured that this was their chance to get their names out there. They accepted the offer and went back to Zach’s place to talk.  
“Star Trek…? For real?” Zach groaned.   
“Look Zach, I know we don’t really know anything about it and I’m not sure its a promising opportunity, but this is our chance. I mean main roles in a movie. When is the next opportunity we are gonna get that. Sure, we’ve done commercials and plays and small roles in this and that, but never main characters. I think we need to take this. Let’s see if we are good enough to get cast,” Chris said. Zach sighed. Chris came up behind Zach and rubbed his shoulders. He pulled down Zach’ shirt a bit and kissed the exposed skin.   
“C’mon Zach…relax. Things are gonna work out and I have a feeling this is our break,” Chris cooed. Zach smiled and turned around. He pressed his lips to Chris’s gently. This wasn’t like one of their intense make-out session kisses. This was far more gentle and loving. Chris had butterflies in his stomach and he felt light as air. He felt he was gonna melt into Zach and fly away. He cupped Zach’s face and returned the favor. He pulled back and stroked behind Zach’s ear.  
“This is gonna work out for us. I promise. Also, have I told you how handsome you are and how much I love you?” Chris said. Zach smiled and looked down.   
“I would make a comment about how rom-com and cheesy that is if it wasn’t working on me…sadly it is…” Zach admitted. Chris kissed Zach’s cheek and let him go.   
“I have to go pack. San Francisco will be fun this weekend. I’ll see you at the airport later,” Chris said. Zach nodded. Chris left the house and bade Zach goodbye.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to San Francisco and the fall out.

He went to his apartment and neatly packed some clothes. He made sure all of his appliances were off and locked the door to his apartment. He drove to LAX and left his car there. He went to the gate and met Zach there. Zach wasn’t too good with planes so he was a little drowsy from taking a Benadryl. Chris giggled and teased him about how completely stoned he looked.  
“Shut the fuck up Chris. I don’t think you understand how bad I am with planes. This is the only way that makes it manageable. I do not need you getting on my case about it,” Zach grumbled. Chris decided to wait until Zach was asleep. Fortunately, that only took about 5 minutes until Zach was blissfully unconscious. Chris took out his phone and snapped a picture of Zach’s face. He laughed to himself. He’d show this to Zach when he wasn’t tired as hell and drugged as fuck. 

About 20 minutes later, they called people up to start boarding. Chris and Zach were the last boarding group because they were in the back of the plane. Zach had his hoodie up because he was ready to just fall asleep on the plane. They found their seats and put their bags up. Zach had the middle seat and Chris had a window seat. They sat down and Zach immediately fell asleep. Chris started doing the crossword on his phone until the flight attendant told him to turn it off. They took off and about 20 minutes later, Chris took out his phone again when it was okay. Zach’s head slid off of his seat and on to Chris’s shoulder. Chris smiled and decided to nap as well. He put away his phone and nestled his head above Zach’s. They both slept for the entire flight until Chris woke up 5 minutes before they landed. Chris stretched and rubbed his eyes. He nudged Zach to wake up. His shoulder was getting a bit sore as well so he wanted Zach off. Zach looked up. His pupils dilated and he looked extremely exhausted. He put on his glasses and looked at Chris.  
“We are landing. I thought I should wake you up,” Chris said. Zach nodded and thanked Chris.  
“Let’s get some food in you. It’s a little late and I’m betting you know San Francisco better than I do so you can pick the place, even though it is my turn to pick,” Chris said.  
“Lucky me. I have some goooooood places in mind. That was your mistake,” Zach said. Chris smiled and looked down at his phone.  
“Thanks Chris. You really are too good for me. I don’t know why your my boyfriend sometimes when you deserve someone much better,” Zach said.  
“Because someone much better isn’t you and isn’t as interesting. Also, someone’s gotta put up with you and I doubt anyone else will,” Chris teased.  
“Fuck off. I’ve taught you well,” Zach said. They got off the plane and left the airport. Zach took them to a vegetarian Indian restaurant where they ordered take out. They took the food back to the hotel and checked in. As they found out, their room had two beds in it. They looked at each other sneakily and politely requested a room with one bed. They walked up stairs and started eating their food.  
“I am NOT kissing you after eating this,” Chris stated. Zach made fake kissing sounds and puckered his lips.  
“Your loss. You are missing out on some delicious Indian backwash,” Zach said. Chris made a face.  
“You’re disgusting,” he said through bites of food. Zach shrugged. They sat and ate their Indian food talking only about small talk. They got in bed later and were channel flipping until they found Singing in the Rain on one of the channels. They sat and watched it in silence. Zach fell asleep on Chris’s chest. Chris noticed and looked down at Zach and smiled. He really did love him. He just wished they’d get their opportunity soon.

The next day, they went to the building where J.J Abrams was. They both met with him separately and read through a part with him to audition for the leads. He said they’d let them know in a couple weeks if they had made it to production or not. Zach got a call an hour after his audition to go meet up with his friend in downtown San Francisco. His friend said he had big news for Zach and so Zach decided to meet up with him. Chris said it was fine and let Zach go.

Chris spent his afternoon emailing his family from his phone. His parents were wondering how life had been in Los Angeles. They had wanted him to come and visit soon. Chris got along fine with his parents. He just wasn't sure he wanted to introduce Zach to them yet. He was sure he loved Zach, he just didn't know if Zach felt the same way. He also had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Chris was a sensitive guy. He didn’t think nor understand when people fell in love with him. He didn’t see his appeal.

Zach came back to the hotel about 3 hours later and looked a bit distressed.  
“Hey, how was your friend?” Chris asked.  
“He was fine…” Zach trailed off. Chris looked up.  
“Fine? No details or anything he was just fine?” Chris asked. Zach shook his head.  
“Is there something wrong Zach?” Chris asked.  
“…I got asked to a play in New York,” Zach said quietly. Chris was silent for a second.  
“That’s great! Isn’t that what you wanted? Also, how did that happen?” Chris questioned.  
“It is and I’m excited about it. It’ll be so much fun and a great opportunity and I can’t wait to go see New York. When I met up with my friend, he said we were having lunch with a director who had seen some of my work in plays in Los Angeles and thought I was really talented so he wants me to star in a play,” Zach explained.  
“Awesome, what play?” Chris asked.  
“The Glass Menagerie. I’d be playing Tom,” Zach said.  
“Zach, for someone who got the lead in a Broadway play, you don’t seem really happy,” Chris noticed.  
“I’d have to move out there for two years. Also, I’m not sure if I moved back there, if I’d ever come back…” Zach said. Chris was silent and sat down next to Zach with his hands clasped together.  
“I figure that’d be the reaction from you…” Zach said.  
“Zach, I’m not saying to stay with me. I don’t want to get in the way of a huge opportunity for you. This is what you’ve wanted for years,” Chris said. His heart was ripping itself into a million pieces. He was so happy for Zach but he didn’t want him to leave. Zach was the best thing that’d happened to him. He couldn’t deal to be without him.  
“Chris…I want to go so badly. I can’t leave you though…” Zach said, his voice wavering. Chris had never heard Zach sound like he was about to cry. He had always seen snarky and sassy Zach, he had never seen vulnerable Zach. Chris put his arm around Zach’s shoulder.  
“Zach, I can’t make your decision for you. But I think you should take this opportunity. I’ll come see you on Broadway and I’ll try to visit as much as I can,” Chris said, trying to stay strong and have his voice not quiver.  
“And what happens to us?” Zach asked.  
“I’m not really sure…but I don’t think a long distance thing can work…I’m sure you’ll find awesome guys in New York. You will have no trouble with that at all,” Chris said lightly. He couldn’t bring Zach to smile though. Zach stood up and went to the bathroom and began to shower. Chris wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He was upset but he couldn’t cry. It was like he was numb. He was shutting himself off. He sat down on the bed and wasn’t sure what he should do. Zach came out of the shower wearing a towel around his waist. He was holding another towel and rubbing his hair with it. Chris looked over. His heart was twisting and knotting itself but he couldn’t help getting butterflies in his stomach when he looked at Zach shirtless. He stood up and went over to Zach. Zach still didn’t look happy and had this glum look in his eye. Chris went over and stroked Zach’s chin before bringing his head in to kiss. Their lips met. It was kind of a bittersweet kiss. There was so much more emotion and feeling in this one than in any others. Chris could feel a sense of longing in Zach’s lips. Zach gripped Chris tightly and fell into his shoulder for a hug. Chris set his head down on Zach’s back. 

The rest of the day was filled with awkward silences. They had some small talk and Zach said he had to move in a few days. Chris’s gut wrenched and writhed in pain. He felt really nauseous. Chris suggested they trade in their tickets to leave on Sunday for tickets back to LA tonight. Zach agreed softly and they made their way to the airport. The plane ride was quiet too. But, for the first time, Zach grabbed Chris’s hand and held it. Chris looked over at Zach. Zach was looking out the window. Chris kissed Zach’s ear and nestled his head on his shoulder.

They arrived back in LA at midnight and went to their separate apartments. Chris sat in bed and still couldn’t feel anything besides a huge ache in his stomach. He didn’t sleep well that night. In the morning, he woke up feeling tired and the same numbness he had felt in his stomach. Zach had texted him and asked if he wanted to come over and help him pack up his place. Chris ignored the text and didn’t respond. He sat in his house the whole day watching some of his DVDs. Zach texted him a couple different times during the day to ask Chris to come over and to be with him. Chris ignored them still. Later that night, he emailed his parents that he would come and visit them in two days. He started packing his things. After that, he went to the gas station to get some cigarettes, something he had never done before. He didn’t know why he going to get some but he had some random craving to get them. Some act of rebellion was probably the cause of this. After he had bought them and was smoking one outside of his apartment, Zach called him. He ignored it and took a drag of the cigarette and decided he didn’t really like the taste of it. He blunted the end and tossed it out before he walked into his apartment. He decided to drive to his parents place. He needed to get out of the house. He grabbed his suitcase and left the house.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris is on his own for a while and Zach doesn't escape his thoughts.

Chris hadn’t seen his family in a good long while. When Chris showed up on their doorstep two days later, his mother was surprised but glad to see him. They exchanged welcomes and small talk and Chris tried to be pleasant. He tried to push Zach out of his mind. But he couldn’t. All of his small quirks and that stupid amused look of his. He was going to miss all of his mannerisms. He was thrilled about Zach getting the part in New York. But truthfully, Chris didn’t think he could manage to come and visit in months to come. He was comfortable in LA and he didn’t know if he could bear to see Zach fall in love with New York without him. 

Chris had considered telling his parents about Zach. But he kept quite about everything. He knew that was the easy part. Getting that around his sister Katherine, was the tricky part. She knew the ups and downs of Chris’s life and could tell when he was keeping something from her. He knew she would be coming to visit as soon as Chris’s parents even mentioned him to her. He sighed and tried to come up with an alibi. 

He was unpacking his suitcase in the guest room when he heard a knock on the door. He turned around to see Katherine standing there smiling. He smiled and walked over and hugged her.  
“Hi Katherine. It’s so good to see you again,” Chris said while hugging her.  
“Oh gosh Chris, how long has it been? I’m pretty sure like a year or something like that” she said. They let go and she sat down on the bed.  
“So how have you been? What made you decide to just come to Mom and Dad’s house randomly?” she asked.   
“Nothing. I just felt like it had been too long and I thought surprising them would be cool. You know how Mom is. She feels the need to plan everything and I felt if I just dropped by, she would calm down. But alas, I can already see she is just freaking out even more, hence you being here,” Chris said. Katherine laughed.  
“That’s mom alright. Well anyway, how have you been? What’s new in your life? Have you gotten any new gigs?” she asked. Chris shrugged.  
“I mean nothing is really new. I was the head of crew for a local show of Bye, Bye, Birdie and I’ve still been auditioning for things. Unfortunately, the whole Bye, Bye Birdie thing didn’t work out because I got into an argument with an assistant director and the director fired me. So…I’ve been looking around for any sort of auditions and well maybe I’ll downsize since money is tight,” Chris said.   
“Chris, don’t you live in a tiny place already? You can’t downsize. You’ll be living in a hole, literally,” she said.   
“I mean what am I going to do Katherine?” Chris looked up at her and asked. She looked down at her nails and mumbled something.   
“I know what you are saying despite you mumbling it. I know it would be so much easier for everyone if I just got a normal job. Something practical. An office job that didn’t require any sort of creativity nor personality. But I don’t want to do that. That’s not me,” Chris stated.  
“We are all concerned about you. We don’t like seeing you throw away your life Chris. That’s not a way to be living your life. Living paycheck to paycheck when you are more than capable of doing something worth while. You think everybody in the job industry likes their job?” Katherine asked frustratedly.   
“No and I certainly don’t want to be one of those people. Someone who settles for everything. Is that what I’m suppose to stand for?” Chris argued. Katherine looked down and sighed.  
“We just want better for you,” she said. They stood in silence for a couple moments.  
“I’d better go check on Mom. She’s making homemade chicken pot pies for dinner and I should help her,” Katherine said quietly. Chris nodded and Katherine left the room. Chris sat down on the bed and rubbed his face. He couldn’t deal with this. He traded stress for stress. He looked at his phone. Zach had texted him.

Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you better stop eating chocolate and watching Dear John and get your head out of your ass. Come help me with all this shit. I’m not strong and I can’t move these boxes by myself. 

Chris half-smiled and then frowned. He wanted to text Zach back. He didn’t know what he would say. He couldn’t see him. There was this huge weight on him that wasn’t letting him breathe. The lump in his throat had just gotten bigger. He rubbed his eyes and ignored the text message. There were no words to put together how horrible he felt. He knew it was rude to ignore Zach but he couldn’t bear to deal with this. He turned his phone off and went to do some laundry.

After dinner, Chris was sitting by his parents’ fireplace and reading A Tale of Two Cities when his sister came and sat down next to him.   “Ok Chris, tell me,” she insisted.   
“Tell you what,” Chris said not looking up from his book.   
“You aren’t telling me something. I can tell. Believe it or not, I’m your sister and I know when you are hiding something from me,” she said.   
“Kath, you’re ridiculous. I’m not hiding anything. What would I have to hide? My life is boring as shit,” Chris said.   
“I don’t know what but I know there is something,” she said.   
“Well, there’s nothing,” he said. She narrowed her eyes at him.  
“You have a new girlfriend, don’t you?” she questioned. He rolled his eyes and set his book down.  
“No, I don’t. My life is disorganized enough as it. I don’t need someone else dealing with it too,” he stated.   
“Mmhmm, sure,” she agreed sarcastically. Chris picked up his book and started reading again. Katherine stood up and started walking away.  
“Alright, well when you decide to tell me, I’ll be here,” she said. Chris felt a sliver of relief now that Katherine had, for now, dropped it. He put down his book and pulled out his laptop from it’s bag. He was looking for auditions in Los Angeles. He sighed. None of these offers looked promising, nor did he like any of them. He thought about the Star Trek audition. He wasn’t going to hear back from them for a couple months. Great, more months of going unpaid, he thought. Suddenly, he saw an offer for a small production of a movie called Blind Dating. He decided it was the best offer he had seen in a while so he figured he’d go in for the open call. It was in two days. He felt bad skipping out on his parents so soon but this was important. He had no idea how he was going to tell them. He knew they’d be somewhat happy for him but, as always, they’d think the worst was going to happen considering the lack of jobs he’d received. 

The next day, he told them he needed to go back to Los Angeles and they were a bit disappointed. This ended up with a ‘family lecture’ about how Chris was throwing away his life and Chris shoved it all off and left earlier than expected. Well, now I remember why I hadn’t visited in a while, Chris thought. He endured the long drive back to LA with little traffic. When he arrived back at his apartment, his electricity had been short circuited and had broken. He groaned and immediately packed a few clothes and other essentials and drove to a hotel. He called an electrician to come and check out the fuse box since Chris was shit when it came to technology. Zach would be laughing and calling Chris a pussy for not having the balls to go and flip a switch or something. Chris sighed and sat on the bed just hating his life. He turned on the TV and began watching I Love Lucy reruns. He heard his phone go off a few times and knew who it would be. He ignored them all though. Chris closed his eyes and just tried to shut everything out of his life. He just didn’t want to feel anymore. It needed to all be gone. Everything. Zach, his parents, his lack of a job and his high stress level, everything. It was too much. Too fucking much.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months later a familiar face turns up

Months later, Chris got a call from J.J Abrams. J.J loved Chris’s audition and thought he’d be perfect for the role of Captain Kirk. Chris was happy that he’d finally gotten a role on the silver screen and gladly accepted the role. J.J was thrilled and told him shooting would start in a couple weeks. They’d have some script run through’s in a week or so. Chris was to be in LA and ready for all of this in a couple of days. 

Chris had moved to Sacremento. He was in a play and was teaching some drama classes at Berkeley. The drive to and from Berkeley sucked, but he got to see his alma mater a couple times a week and the pay was pretty good. Now that shooting was gonna start, he had to find a place in LA again. With more money, he was pretty excited with looking for a new start. He had begun to miss LA’s charm and personality. Sacremento wasn’t quite the same. It was more low key and just wasn’t…it wasn’t LA. He went to his computer and was apartment looking. He found some nice places in his budget and decided he’d go and check them out. He’d also found out that the apartment building he’d use to live in had gotten knocked down and was getting redone. About fucking time, Chris thought. They probably had found termites or rats or something and needed to just tear the place down. It was a piece of shit anyway. He booked his ticket to LA for that night and got ready to go down for the weekend.

He stayed in a Marriott over the couple days he was in LA. During the days, he went and looked at a couple different places and he finally found a place he loved. It was near downtown LA and you could kinda see the ocean from the view. It also had a nice market and deli around the corner from him. He decided to take it. He called some movers to schedule the packing up of his house in two days. He was a bit stressed out from how fast everything was moving. He had never done this before so he wasn’t sure how everything was gonna be. 

He hadn’t spoken to Zach. He didn’t know how the play rehearsals were going nor how much Zach loved New York. He wished he hadn’t dropped communication with him, but he knew he couldn’t do much now. 

A couple days later, Chris had packed up his house and was moving everything down to Los Angeles. He was getting settled in when he got a phone call from Zach.  
“Hello?” he answered.  
“Hey Chris,” Zach said in his sultry sweet voice that Chris had missed.   
“Hey man, how have you been? Long time no talk,” Chris said.  
“Good, I’ve been good. The play has been taking up all of my time. I’m starting to grow gray hairs from all the stress. I can’t be getting old yet ugh,” Zach said. Chris chuckled.  
“Oh Zach, we all get old eventually,” Chris said. Chris himself when he wouldn’t shave for a couple days started to notice he had some gray hairs in his beard. Because he was slightly self-conscience, he, for the most part, kept himself shaved.   
“How has New York been? I bet you are having a ball there. Was it all you wanted it to be?” Chris asked.  
“It’s been all and more. I just…I love Los Angeles but New York…it is my true home. I can’t believe it took me so long to get out here. Chris, you’d love it out here. You and your goofy style. The theater, environment, it’s so you,” Zach said. Chris blushed a bit. He didn’t know why but he liked that Zach still knew Chris like the back of his hand.   
“That’s awesome, I hope I can go out there someday too,” Chris said. There was a slight pause.  
“So, why’d you call Zach?” Chris asked.   
“Well…I think it’d be better if I explained it in person…” Zach said. In person…what the hell…? Chris thought. He heard a knock on his door. He went to his door and opened it.  
“Surprise,” Zach said with a smile. Chris still had the phone up against his ear.  
“Sorry, maybe you didn’t hear me. Surprise!” Zach shouted into the phone. Chris laughed and hung up the phone and gave Zach a hug.   
“What are you doing here?” Chris asked.   
“Same reason as you…” Zach said.  
“Wait…you aren’t doing the play anymore?” Chris asked.  
“I wish I could. It got pushed back. The director was having second thoughts and he decided to wait a couple months to get anything going. So, in the meantime, I figured I’d come back to LA and do this movie,” Zach explained. Chris smiled. He was so happy to see Zach.   
“This is great. We are finally gonna be in a movie together oh god. The director is gonna hate us by the end of it,” Chris said. Zach laughed.   
“Oh you fucking know it,” Zach said. Chris motioned for him to come inside and Zach did. They sat down on the couch and were a bit silent. Old feeling lingered in the air still. Chris felt he needed to say something. He put his hand on Zach’s arm and closed his eyes.  
“Zach…” he started. He didn’t know how to put thoughts to words.   
“I…I don’t even know how much to apologize. I don’t know where to begin. Ignoring you…not saying goodbye which I’m imagining you were pretty fucking pissed at me about, because I’d be pissed at me too if I was you. I…I’ve regretted it for 6 months ever since you left. I couldn’t live with myself. I…I just was so upset. I figured if I parted myself from you…it would be easier. It wasn’t…and…” Chris said.  
“Chris…just stop…” Zach said pulling his arm out from under Chris’s hand.   
“No, I need to get this out,” Chris said. Zach was silent.   
“I…know what I want…and I don’t think I did back then. Actually no, that’s not true. I did know what I wanted back then. You. It’s always been you. I…I had never found somebody who really…got me until you came around and turned my whole life upside-fucking-down. It was weird and crazy and I got so caught up with you. I know this doesn’t respite anything and this isn't elaborate whatsoever. But dating you manifested a feeling of belonging in me. And it proved to me that you and me…we…we’re fucking awesome together. And I don’t have any sugar coated way to say that. I had so much apathy when you were gone and I can’t live like that. Just knowing that you probably have some super awesome boyfriend in New York who doesn’t leave without saying good bye and treats you awesome and has a nice place. And you probably had an awesome job there and just to come back here to deal with me again…I can’t…I don’t want you to…” Chris said. Some tears had formed in his eyes and he bit them back. Zach looked down and was rubbing his fingers together. He was trying to figure out what he wanted to say. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He had some tears in his eyes.  
“I…was so fucking…angry with you,” He growled. Chris put his head down.   
“I hated you for letting me leave like that. You selfish bastard. You thought you could just disa-fucking-ppear like a ghost and you’d be done with me? Well now you got 99 problems Chris and they all have to do with who? Me. I wanted to get over you so badly. But the worst thing you did to me was making me not be able to. Believe me, I fucking tried. I screwed probably 7 different guys in that 6 months. That got me absolutely no where. I tried to date a little. I had a boyfriend. He did have a nice place and a nice job and treated me well. But you know what? My stupid ass brain would not let me get over you,” Zach said seething with anger. Chris wasn’t sure what to do.  
“You have NO fucking idea how much that sucked. I hated myself and him because of you,” Zach said.   
“Zach, I know I screwed up. I just want you to know how sorry I am and I hope you can forgive me. I promise I won’t do anything like that again,” Chris begged. Zach walked over to him and sat on his lap.  
“Want me to ‘forgive and forget’?” Zach asked. Chris pulled his head back.   
“Get your ass up,” Zach commanded. Chris did as he asked. Zach pushed him up against the wall of the apartment. Chris was a bit nervous. He didn’t know what Zach was going to do.  
“You dick. You can’t do that to me again,” Zach said before kissing Chris. Chris kissed back. He knew he probably shouldn’t but he did. He roughly ran his hands up and down Zach’s back. Zach bit tenderly at Chris’s neck. Chris moaned and leaned his head back up against the wall. He started unbuttoning Zach’s shirt. Zach pulled off Chris’s shirt and pulled him by the belt to the bed room. The bed hadn’t gotten set up yet. Zach didn’t care. He had his ideas.  
“Hm, no bed. Guess handsies it is,” Zach said filled with pleasure. He had that sexy serial killer look on his face. Him and his stupid strong brow, Chris thought. Chris was becoming so full of lust. He kissed Zach up and down his chest. Zach pulled him against the wall. Zach licked the tip of Chris’s nose and then up and down his neck. Chris unbuttoned Zach’s tight jeans and pulled them off. Zach slid off Chris’s belt and yanked down Chris’s pants. Zach grinded his hips up against Chris’s crotch. Chris gasped. Zach pulled down Chris’s boxers and Zach pulled down Zach’s briefs. Chris giggled.  
“You don’t wear briefs,” Chris said with a rough voice. Zach smiled and grabbed Chris’s dick and started yanking it. Chris moaned and thrusted into Zach. Chris grabbed Zach’s dick and pulled it gently. They both pulled and rubbed each other. Gasps and moans were exchanged. Zach comed onto Chris’s stomach and Chris shot out at Zach’s legs.   
“Nice aim, Chris,” Zach teased before falling to the floor. Chris fell next to him.  
“Nice to know you are still the same Zach,” Chris said gathering his breath.   
“Nice to know you are still using the same averagely impressive vocab,” Zach said. Chris rolled his eyes.  
“Besides this, I really did miss you. It really sucked not having you around,” Chris said.  
“Chris, I’d love to continue this conversation, when i have some pants on and I’m not covered in sweat and your jizz,” Zach said.   
“Fair enough. Shower is there,” Chris pointed. Zach got up and went to the shower. Chris washed himself off in the other bathroom. They got dressed and sat down in his living room.  
“So…I’m not sure…” Chris started.   
“Chris, it’s called makeup sex. It’s a thing people do when they are mad at each other and then they go at it like fucking animals and then they forgive each other,” Zach said.   
“I’m aware Zach thanks for that though,” Chris said. Zach didn’t say anything.   
“Zach, I’m getting a vibe here that you don’t forgive me, or something else is going on,” Chris said. Zach looked away. Chris looked at Zach.   
“Zach, tell me. What is going on?” Chris asked.   
“I…I shouldn’t have done that,” Zach said quietly. Chris was confused but didn’t say anything. This was the second time that he had been so fucking confused with Zach.   
“I…I have a boyfriend Chris…His name is Jonathan and he lives back in New York…” Zach said. Chris felt his stomach drop. He was sad and then he was angry.   
“What the hell…was that then?” Chris almost shouted. He stood up and stared at Zach.   
“So, you decide to just stroll in here and fuck me and then just drop a bombshell that you have a new man in your life? Wow, that’s fucking fantastic,” Chris said. Zach smirked.   
“What?! What could you possibly smirking about?” Chris yelled.   
“I don’t have a boyfriend Chris. I did for a couple months. I just thought I’d tell you to fuck with you and get back at you,” Zach stated while that famous amused look on his face played it’s dirty game. Chris wasn’t sure whether he should punch Zach or not. He decided though he probably deserved being lied to.   
“Wow…you are a giant asshole you know that?” Chris said. Zach took a mini bow with his arms.   
“Comes with the territory,” Zach said. Chris sighed angrily and sat down next to Zach.   
“I was a real jerk to you, wasn’t I?” Chris asked. Zach shrugged.  
“Yeah, you kinda were,” Zach agreed. Chris sighed glumly.  
“I’m sorry Zach. I really am. I hope you can forgive me,” Chris apologized. Zach grabbed Chris’s hand for the second time in their life.   
“Some goofy weirdo once told me ‘forgive and forget’ so I think it would be appropriate to apply that to this situation. I also think it would be deleterious to you if I was out of your life any longer. Plus, you are kinda cute…” Zach said. Chris rolled his eyes.  
“I thought you didn’t go for blondes, even if they were dirty” Chris reminded.   
“Yeah, well then I saw how dirty you were and I couldn’t resist,” Zach said sexily. Chris smiled and looked down at his feet. They sat in silence for a few moments.  
“Move in with me,” Chris said. Zach shuffled his feet on the ground.  
“Please. Zach, I don’t know if this movie will be good or not and I don’t know where this is gonna lead us to, but all I know is you were my rock and life sucked without you,” Chris said. Zach smiled to himself.   
“Hmm…Do I really want to deal with your poor taste in clothes, and all the other quirks I’m about to find out about you?” Zach questioned to himself. Chris rolled his eyes.   
“Alright Christopher. As long as you are assiduous and don’t leave underwear in my sink,” Zach said. Chris smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the movie

During the next week, they moved Zach’s stuff into Chris’s apartment. Zach asserted that he was going to decorate the place how he wanted because Chris’s sense of style was just all around all over the place. Chris begrudgingly let Zach do what he want. The days were long and filled with organizing and disagreeing with where to put certain things but each day ended up in cuddling and sometimes other things. They would flop into bed and Zach would lie his head on Chris’s chest. Chris would run his fingers through Zach’s hair and gently message his head with his fingers.  
“I don’t think you understand how nice it is to have you in my bed every night. You aren’t 10 miles away or 5000 miles away, you are just here. With me,” Chris said quietly. Zach hummed “We Don’t Need Love Songs” to himself and Chris looked down at Zach. The light from the window hit Zach’s face in such a way where his brown eyes looked exceptionally stunning. Chris would smile and kiss Zach’s forehead gently while gently caressing where Zach’s hairline started. They would look out the window together at the Los Angeles skyline in the distance. Zach would say how when he used to live in New York, he could only see the top of the Empire State Building from his bedroom. He would say how much he wanted an apartment where he could see the Hudson River and the New York skyline. He said how much New York really doesn’t sleep and how beautiful that was. Chris would listen and hope he could someday see New York for himself. Chris would then tell him how they would someday live there and they would have that dream apartment. Zach wouldn’t believe him and then Chris would pull him in for a kiss. They would silently kiss and then slowly fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

A couple days later, the first script reading was set up for Star Trek and Zach and Chris went down to the studio. Chris then saw John and Karl walking around looking for the read through room.  
“Hey guys!” Chris called out. They both looked over and smiled.  
“Chris! Wow! Long time no talk! How’s it going? Did you get cast in the movie too?” John asked.  
“Yep! I got Kirk and Zach got Spock. How about you guys?” Chris asked.  
“I got Bones and John got Sulu. Wow am I gonna have fun pranking you guys,” Karl said rubbing his hands together suspiciously. Chris and John laughed.  
“Chris, I don’t believe you’ve formally introduced us to your friend,” Karl said.   
“Shit I forgot you guys haven’t met. Zach, this is Karl and that’s John. Karl, John, this is Zach,” Chris said. They shook hands.  
“Nice to meet you Zach. Chris hasn’t stopped talking about you so I want to see what’s so amazing about his new/first guy. Also, how have you been able to put up with him? I need your secrets” Karl said. Zach laughed.  
“Lots and lots of alcohol,” Zach said. Chris rolled his eyes and Karl laughed.  
“Well, it’s nice to finally have met you Zach. You’ll have to meet our friend Alice sometime. She’s in New York right now on Broadway right now,” John said.   
“No way, what play is she doing? I was just in New York for a couple months,” Zach said.   
“I think she’s in the chorus for Mamma Mia,” John said.  
“Wow, big musical. I bet she’s having so much fun,” Zach said. They continued walking around the studio until they found the director and he waved them into a room. They met with the rest of the cast and had some small talk until they got their scripts and sat down to read through the movie. It was a long few hours and all the actors had to try and get into their characters how J.J wanted them to be. Zach had to try a few different variations of his Spock voice until he found one that J.J liked and Karl had to try a hint of a Southern accent in his Bones interpretation. Chris mostly sat there trying to discreetly play footsie with Zach under the table. This mostly ended up in Zach flubbing his line occasionally and Chris laughing. Then Zach would follow up by stepping on Chris’s foot to make him stop and in turn, Chris would mess up his line. Karl just sat there rolling his eyes. J.J didn’t exactly see what Chris and Zach were doing but liked Karl’s reaction to whatever they were doing and told Karl to do more eye-rolls. 

After the read through concluded, J.J quickly pulled Zach aside and explained that Zach would have to shave his eyebrows and cut his hair for the makeup and hair team to be able to Spockify him. Zach pretended to not care but in reality, he was pretty pissed. J.J then dismissed him and they were all free to leave. Zach turned around and had a painful expression on his face.  
“What?” asked Chris.  
“My life is officially ruined. I have to shave my eyebrows and cut my hair for the role of Spock,” Zach groaned.   
“Yes Zach, that’s what actors do. They adapt for the roles they play,” Chris explained sarcastically.   
“You are not helping,” Zach whined. Chris chuckled.  
“It’s only for a couple months. This will be your opportunity to wear the worst hipster hats and glasses you can find,” Chris joked. Zach looked at him like he was about to bark back about how those hats were in fact trendy and amazing when Chris planted a kiss on Zach’s head. He ran his fingers through Zach’s hair.   
“I will miss this thick hair of yours. Spock’s hair isn’t really attractive but, we’ll work with it,” Chris said, “We could have some wicked alien foreplay,” Chris said. Zach looked up with this twisted look in his eye.  
“Captain, I’ll make your knees go weak,” Zach said in his Spock voice. This sent a shiver up Chris’s spine. They decided this whole scene was taking place in public and decided to save the show for their cozy and secluded apartment. 

As they got into Zach’s old Mercedes, Chris started flipping through the script and looked at the calendar for all the shooting days.   
“So, where do you want to eat? You say anything remotely greasy and I’ll kill you,” said Zach putting his key in to start the ignition. Chris didn’t answer and just gazed at the calendar.   
“Chris,” Zach said. Chris’s head whipped up.  
“Oh, whatever’s fine. It’s your turn to pick,” said Chris.  
“Actually, it’s your turn to pick since you gave me your turn last time but whatever. I’ll take another turn,” Zach said. Chris, again, didn’t answer.  
“Chris, are you even paying attention?” Zach said slightly annoyed.   
“Sorry. I’m just thinking about how this is really it for us. This could be our big break. The next few months, this is going to be our entire life,” Chris said.  
“Yeah, it is. And that’s a good thing. Soon, our name will be out there and we will be able to be in more things and soon, who knows? We could have enough money and popularity to move to New York and start our dream life,” Zach said. Chris nodded his head.   
“It’s just weird trying to wrap my head around that. Just a couple months ago, we were just plain guys from LA who were making shit money and the only jobs we ever got were small town productions of old musicals and plays. Now, the possibilities are endless. New content being produced everyday, opportunity is just bursting at the brim,” Chris said. Zach looked thoughtfully at Chris.   
“You don’t seem happy about it though,” Zach noticed.   
“I am happy. I’m just…I don’t know…it’s weird. I can’t explain what I’m feeling,” Chris explained. Zach pursed his lips.  
“Don’t think on it too much. You’ll come around,” Zach said. He buckled his seat belt and started driving to his pick for dinner. They arrived at a small vegan pizza joint. They got out of the car and went into the restaurant. 

Dinner for them was relatively quiet. It’s not like it was awkward or anything. They were both tired and both just felt there wasn’t much to say. They understood what each other were feeling. Chris wasn’t too sure though. He really was happy about this opportunity. He just didn’t know if he was ready/wanted the fame and recognition that was bound to come. Sure, he wouldn’t mind taking pictures with fans or addressing things like that, but to just think about how his whole private life would be exposed to everyone…he didn’t really like that. Especially with his Zach aspect. 

Firstly, he felt relationships were suppose to be private. Why should he have to tell the whole world who he was with and what he was doing? Who did it matter who he was putting his dick in anyway? 

Secondly, his and Zach’s relationship, especially, was quiet and low key. They seemed just like really close friends around everyone in public, except for the occasional kiss here or there. They weren’t really fans of PDA. From how much they’d seen in their lives from others, they thought it was unnecessary and gross. This, of course, didn’t apply to playful hits or nudges or anything. But even without the whole touching aspect, he and Zach didn’t really talk about their relationship ever. Their friends knew and they were both going to tell their parents soon but besides that, they never really shared any details of the ins-and-outs of what was going down with each other. They felt that was between them. 

Thirdly, and Chris wasn’t proud of this, but he was slightly worried that Zach would run off with some other man crush in Hollywood that was better looking than him and certainly, more well-known. He felt guilty even letting the thought cross his mind, but he couldn’t help it. Chris, truthfully, was a bit sensitive and self-conscious. He was always sure of himself and wasn’t always the fondest of himself. He had always had this stupid worry that Zach would jump out of their relationship when he found someone better than Chris. Someone who didn’t suck at relationships as much as Chris. This fear was closer now that fame was around the corner. 

Now, there was no way he was going to tell Zach these fears. Zach would go ballistic. He had no doubt about that. He’d tell Chris he was being dumb or something along those lines. He decided to just repress these thoughts until they bubbled up again. After all, that’s the best temporary solution to any thoughts he had…right?

After they finished eating, they drove back to their apartment. They opened the door and Zach flicked on the lights. Chris immediately flicked them off again. Zach turned around and looked at Chris slightly confused. Chris had locked his eyes on Zach. He walked over to Zach and began kissing him. Zach closed his eyes and dropped the bag of leftovers from his hand. He let his hands drift and find their way to Chris’s neck. Chris wrapped his hands around Zach and let himself melt into the kiss. Zach slipped his tongue through Chris’s lips and gently persuaded Chris’s tongue do the same. Chris slowly guided Zach to the couch and continued kissing him. Zach pulled off Chris’s jacket and began unbuttoning Chris’s shirt. Chris did the same with Zach’s. They slowly let themselves fall onto the couch. Chris pulled Zach’s skinny jeans off of his legs and unbuttoned his own jeans and let them fall to the floor. 

They continued undressing each other until they were completely naked. They were still kissing passionately on the couch. The moonlight lit up the dark room and illuminated Chris’s pale back. Zach moved his kisses to Chris’s neck and began gently stroking his back with his fingers. Chris’s head fell into Zach’s shoulder and he began nibbling on it. Zach let out a moan. They looked up for a second and their gaze met. Both were unsure what to do next. Chris didn’t know if he should keep the mood like this or take a dirty and rough turn. He went with his gut and just began rubbing behind Zach’s neck. Zach grabbed Chris’s ass to pull him closer. He felt Chris’s body heat rubbing up against him. He began gently rubbing himself up against Chris. Chris let out a sigh. Zach closed his eyes and continued. Chris let his hands fall to Zach’s waist. He began returning the favor and starting rubbing himself against Zach. They both let out sighs of pleasure and after about 8 minutes, fell on top of each other. Chris felt Zach leak onto his leg.   
“And their off…” Chris said tiredly. Zach laughed breathlessly.   
“Never took you for a cheesy, romantic-passionate love guy,” Chris said.  
“Can’t be rough all the time. Foreplay ideas are fucking hard to come up with. I can’t just use any old idea. Needs to be creative and worth doing,” Zach said sleepily. Chris grinned. He began tracing circles on Zach’s arm.   
“I love you Zach,” Chris said.  
“I love you too, Chris,” 

 

Zach began to drift into sleep but Chris remained awake. He lied on the couch looking out at the Los Angeles skyline. He looked down at Zach and thought about how lucky he was that Zach had forgiven him. He looked around his apartment and thought about how it seemed like everything was working itself out. He had a job, a wonderful boyfriend who he loved, a nice apartment, everything. But, Chris was weary. Whenever it seemed like everything was perfect, life seemed to bite him in the ass. He didn't want to over analyze it. He nudged Zach awake and walked him to their bed. Zach basically fell onto the bed and was out like a light once again. Chris cuddled up next to him and began spooning him. He felt Zach’s body heat against his chest. Zach was always radiating heat but his feet always managed to be freezing as fuck. He joked that he could buy Zach ten thousand pairs of socks and his feet would still be cold. 

Chris sat there staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep but he couldn’t. He didn’t know what was wrong. Something didn’t feel right. He didn’t know what, but he felt like there was something that was going to happen. Chris was always paranoid. It was just who he was. It was that stupid issue he had thought about earlier in the car. He had this terrifying fear that Zach would run back off to New York and leave him here alone. It shook him to his core. He turned on his side away from Zach and tried to focus on sleeping but he couldn’t. He laid there for hours just squeezing his eyes shut trying to keep the ugly thoughts from his brain but he couldn’t. They kept wandering their way back and would bother him and tease him continuously. At about 3 AM, Zach got up to go to the bathroom and saw Chris awake and staring at the ceiling.  
“How long have you been up?” Zach asked. Chris wondered if he should lie or not.  
“Only a couple of minutes,” Chris lied. Zach shrugged and walked into the bathroom. After two minutes, he came out and sat back in bed. He shifted himself next to Chris.  
“I can tell when you’re lying Christopher whether you tell me or not,” Zach said sleepily. Chris didn’t answer.  
“What are you thinking about? Can’t get Chris Evans’ abs off your mind?” Zach teased.  
“Shut up. I just can’t sleep. It happens occasionally. It runs in my family,” Chris said.  
“And I secretly have five extra toes on my left foot,” Zach said. Chris sighed.  
“Look, we are both tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?” Chris asked.   
“Not if you are going to keep me up for the next five hours tossing and turning,” Zach said more awake now. Chris turned away from him. Zach sat up and turned the light on.  
“Chris, what is going on? You’ve been like this all night,” Zach accused.   
“I have not…” Chris said.   
“No one is going to bed until you tell me and believe me, when I don’t get my sleep, I am a fucking shit-storm in the morning so it’s easier to tell me now,” Zach said. Chris sighed.  
“It’s dumb…” Chris trailed off.   
“Cough it up Christopher,”   
“It’s just…I think…after this movie…you and I…we’ll be famous and well…you could run off to New York with a better boy and have your dream life. You don’t have to have me keeping you here in LA,” Chris said. Zach looked at him like he was insane. Zach rubbed his temples.  
“That’s what is keeping you up? You really are a teenage boy,” Zach teased. Chris rolled his eyes and put his head on his pillow away from Zach.   
“Chris, let’s be honest here. There are probably a million other guys that would be considered “better” for me and could provide me with more. They would have more experience and wouldn’t have as shitty a style of dress or of, well, everything that you do,” Zach said. Chris let out an annoyed sigh.  
“But, I will promise you right now, I am not going to New York without you,” Zach said.   
“Mmmhmm, you say that now,” Chris said.   
“Well…I mean I could fine some good man candy in New York. That’s where all my fellow hipsters lie,” Zach teased with his famous amused look on his face. Chris threw a pillow at him and groaned into his pillow. Zach laughed and turned off the light. He wrapped his arm around Chris’s waist and whispered into his ear.  
“Besides, I couldn't have as wicked foreplay with anyone else,” Zach hissed. Chris half smiled. Zach fell back on his pillow.  
“Maybe I should move to New York. Find some guy who doesn’t eat grilled cheese every night,” Zach said.   
“Oh my God Zach; I’m about two seconds away from committing homicide,” Chris barked from his pillow. Zach laughed.  
“I’m merely teasing Christopher. Who would I show my eclectic vocabulary to? No one could put up with that but you. Even though you are no where near my level of extensiveness,” Zach said.  
“I’m no clairvoyant, but I see a kicking of your ass in the morning,” Chris mumbled. Zach giggled and kissed Chris’s back.  
“Don’t worry Chris. I’m far from finished with you,” Zach said falling asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

Months and months of shooting went by and their relationship grew stronger. They joked about how Kirk and Spock were hot for each other.   
“Spock obviously wants to have some hot alien sex with him on pon farr,” Zach joked. Chris had laughed. He knew it was true. Spock and Kirk were so heavily shipped in the Original Series. They later found out that the ‘trekkies’ had started fan fiction actually. Chris was amused by this and knew the fan fiction would begin again when the movie would be released. 

Zach had had to cut his hair in the same goofy bowl hair cut he had had most of his life growing up. He also had to shave his eyebrows so the makeup team could shape his eyebrows to be Vulcan shaped. Chris laughed and teased him about how weird he looked.   
“You definitely got the short end of the stick on this one,” Chris said.  
“I am fucking hot, I have no idea what you are talking about,” Zach said.   
“May have something to deal with the bowl cut and the ears that you are always wearing,” Chris said. Chris may or may not have seen Zach walking around the apartment naked in a pair of Spock ears once or twice. He teased Zach about how he secretly wanted to be a Vulcan and Zach claimed he was just ‘getting in character’. Chris didn’t believe it for a second.   
“You just aren’t a method actor. You don’t understand,” Zach brushed Chris off. Chris laughed. 

J.J pointed out every so often that he loved the ‘natural chemistry’ between Zach and Chris. Chris and Zach would smirk at each other and thank him. Chris would claim it was because his ability to work with people. Zach would roll his eyes. Shooting was rough. There were long days and stressful days. However, both Chris and Zach loved it. They loved being able to challenge themselves with these roles they were given and improve themselves as actors. 

After the movie had been released, they did lots of press and J.J told them he would be doing a second movie that would begin shooting in a year or so. Zach and Chris would joke a lot in their interviews. They had picked up their vocabulary war again and tried to use as many as they could in them. The interviewers had some difficulty sometimes getting them to focus. Their relationship flew under the radar for the most part. They never really told anybody because they figured it was their own business. Chris hinted at it a lot though. He would laugh about it later and joke with Zach about it. After the interviews there were lots of premieres and traveling to different cities around the world for the film debut with the cast. At this point, Zach had mentioned how he wished people wrote letters more instead of texting. He hadn’t been too happy with the increasing popularity of e-books. When they were in London for the film debut, Zach found a letter in his jacket pocket and he opened it up and read it while going into the theater.

‘Zach,  
Sometimes we know where we fall when we are set into society. Some of us don’t. You are one of the lucky people who knows who he is and where he belongs. Unfortunately, I have no fucking clue. I wish I did have the answer to who I was. 

I still think about how I never said goodbye when you went to New York. I think about how that is probably the douchiest thing I could have done. I’m really fortunate that you forgave me and let us continue our lives together. I love that we now have two wonderfully street dog dogs and a grumpy cat. I love that we used to live in shitty apartments outside of LA and to some degree I am thankful that we spent some time apart to find ourselves. We found that we belong here.

I like to think of our relationship like that Neon Trees song, Sleeping With a Friend. I know you’d say how incredibly cheesy of me but I dare you to listen to it and not think the same.

I know you hate the idea of me eating grilled cheese for dinner 4 times a week and I still don’t understand why you can’t fold some shirts’ sleeves and others you can and probably a million other things. I think that’s how we work though. We go to New York for the premiere next week. I can’t wait to see where you lived and to explore it. I hope we can live there someday. I know you will always hold a piece of sadness in your heart from where I was absent out of your life. But just know that I will spend my whole life trying to get those moments back and make the best of the moments we have. I will spend all of our moments trying to beat you with words, and trying to impress you because I’m goofy like that. 

I’ll spend my whole life trying to catch up to you, and I hope you wait for me.

Love,  
Chris’


End file.
